Tue Dec 15, 2020, 09:15 AM

octoberlib (13,679 posts)

Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church got $4.4 million in federal PPP loans

Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church is among the large local congregations that received multi-million dollar loans as part of the federal government’s COVID-19 stimulus package.

Lakewood received a $4.4 million loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, a part of the federal CARES Act that provided loans to pay employee wages or for other basic operational costs such as utilities.

The program marked the first time federal lawmakers allowed for direct financial assistance to houses of worship.

Lakewood officials said earlier this year that they had not applied for a loan through the PPP, and the church was not included on the list of recipients released by the Small Business Administration early in the summer. The SBA later reopened the program, and its most recent data shows that Lakewood’s loan was approved in mid-July.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/religion/article/Joel-Osteen-s-Lakewood-Church-got-4-4M-in-15800887.php

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7 replies	Author	Time	Post
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church got $4.4 million in federal PPP loans (Original post)	octoberlib	Dec 15	OP
utter corruption. probably could have helped 40 actual small businesses with that money.	bullimiami	Dec 15	#1
I'm starting to wonder if any of the ppp money actually got to any of the small	octoberlib	Dec 15	#2
Seems like very little of the money went to the actual people who needed it. Lawyers for bigger	Pisces	Dec 15	#3
Bigger companies should have been banned from receiving it.	octoberlib	Dec 15	#5
I think many companies have found loopholes on how they classify employees ie ( independent	Pisces	Dec 15	#7
I'd like to know the person or persons who signed off on this bullshit	Blue Owl	Dec 15	#4
Soon.	octoberlib	Dec 15	#6

Response to octoberlib (Original post)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 09:18 AM

bullimiami (11,338 posts)

1. utter corruption. probably could have helped 40 actual small businesses with that money.

we need to claw back every corrupt penny that was stolen from the ppp fund.

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Response to bullimiami (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 09:21 AM

octoberlib (13,679 posts)

2. I'm starting to wonder if any of the ppp money actually got to any of the small

businesses at all

This is the DU member formerly known as octoberlib.

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Response to octoberlib (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 09:35 AM

Pisces (5,275 posts)

3. Seems like very little of the money went to the actual people who needed it. Lawyers for bigger

Companies were able to fill out paperwork and file it quickly. Meanwhile business owners struggle to fill out the forms and didn’t turn them in same day.

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Response to Pisces (Reply #3)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 12:17 PM

octoberlib (13,679 posts)

5. Bigger companies should have been banned from receiving it.

Trump admin was just awarding their supporters.

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Response to octoberlib (Reply #5)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 01:22 PM

Pisces (5,275 posts)

7. I think many companies have found loopholes on how they classify employees ie ( independent

Contractor etc. in order to make them look smaller. I agree that money should have gone to a much smaller pool and I also think they should have excluded religious groups.

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Response to octoberlib (Original post)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 11:41 AM

Blue Owl (33,017 posts)

4. I'd like to know the person or persons who signed off on this bullshit

They should be removed from their jobs immediately

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Response to Blue Owl (Reply #4)

Tue Dec 15, 2020, 12:20 PM

octoberlib (13,679 posts)

6. Soon.

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