Is it any surprise that dark money has filtered into more and more local elections? In his Detroit Free Press article, Jonathan Oosting begins an overview of a much greater problem than Mr. Schuette’s blip on the screen. Technically, the money used by Michigan Attorney General Schuette, if under the IRS Section 527, could very well require disclosure of donors depending on interpretation by the IRS that will look closely at a connection to another Michigan based funding group. The only way to avoid disclosure is through a 501 (c)4 group set-up to attack only issues. In either scenario, the money given is without a ceiling, which brings us to the point necessary to discuss now and not months or years after this legal wrangling is over. This entire picture could be very much a part of what we’ve reviewed before on these very pages: Your city council could be next. Any Company USA, or from anywhere in the world for-that-matter,  may need a plot of land or special dispensation for a project in your community. There is now a legal way to influence elections with unlimited money either through a 527 group (super PAC) or a 501 (c)4 organization. If there is a local candidate or candidates willing to push a particular company’s agenda, dark money can win out! And guess what? Unless you watch carefully and vote with knowledge, you can’t do a thing about the outcome if it goes in favor of the company and is horrible for the community. Now, later there may be recalls and other attempts to right-the-ship, but needless to say, feathers and friendships will be strained. Dark money and Citizen’s United may only be ended with a constitutional amendment. I suggest you began contemplating the future vision of your democracy, and think about contacting your Congressional representatives, because the eroded edges of the republic within which you now reside have been taken and given to the highest bidder.