Where Did Our Money Go?

Posted on by under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary

Remember that $1,200 check you received from the IRS in April?  Didn’t last too long, did it?  Still, it helped … every little bit helped.  At the rate Congress is acting, you’ll be long dead before you receive another.  But look … many did benefit greatly and received hefty checks.  They are … well, let’s have a look …

  • Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, who has served on Trump’s evangelical board, was approved for a loan of $2 – $5 million.
  • The American Center for Law and Justice Inc, a nonprofit founded by televangelist Pat Robertson and also known as Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism Inc., was approved for a $1-2 million loan. Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s cadre of lawyers who represented Trump during his impeachment trial, is listed as chief counsel on the organization’s website.
  • City of Destiny Inc. of Florida, where Paula White, Trump’s spiritual adviser, is listed as a pastor, was approved for a loan of $150,000-$350,000.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was part of the larger $2.3 trillion relief package was intended for small businesses, to allow them to keep paying their employees even when shut down due to the coronavirus.  The keywords here are ‘small’ and ‘business’.  The churches mentioned here are wealthy in their own right.  And churches are not businesses.  If they are, in fact, businesses, then they no longer qualify for tax-exempt status, and should be paying taxes on their income.

Given the separation of church and state that is part of the foundation of our government, the government should absolutely not be giving money to churches … any churches.  Additionally, it is highly suspicious that all of the aforementioned churches’ leaders have close affiliations to Donald Trump.  This is our tax money, people.  We are throwing it all away … or rather, we are allowing Donald Trump to throw it away, to give it to those he thinks can help him in some way … like telling their congregations to vote for him in November.  In essence, part of the money that was to help small businesses, went into Trump’s campaign coffers.

Jay Sekulow, Paula White, Robert Jeffress, and Pat Robertson are all wealthy individuals who could have easily afforded to continue paying their staff.  None of them needed the money.  They are of a religion that many of us do not support or believe in.  And yet, we paid them … for what?  This opens a whole new can of worms in regard to cronyism and also defies the separation of church and state clause.  Worse yet, these religious organizations pay no taxes, so they have contributed virtually nothing, yet they are taking.  And, unless I miss my guess, their loans will ultimately be forgiven, which makes it not a loan but a gift.  I didn’t authorize giving my money to any religious organization, nor would I.  Once again, we have been robbed.

Religious organizations weren’t the only ones to receive money undeservedly.  Remember Kanye West, the rapper, who cozied up to Trump in the early days of his tenure?  Turns out he owns a clothing line called Yeezy, and thus he was given a loan of between $2 million and $5 million.  Mr. West has a net worth of $1.3 billion … I really do believe that he could have afforded to pay his employees out of his own pocket.

More than 30 Girl Scout chapters across the country received PPP loans. The Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming were approved for between $350,000 and $1 million each.  Now, I fully support Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, I think they do good work.  But, with schools closed since March, no gatherings such as scout meetings allowed … why the Sam Heck do they need that much money?  Their troop leaders are all volunteers, not paid employees!

Jim-Justice

Gov. Jim Justice

West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice is a very wealthy man … he is actually considered the wealthiest person in the State of West Virginia, with a net worth of $1.2 billion.  Justice owns a number of businesses, including coal, agricultural, and a lavish resort.  Justice and his family members received $6.3 million from the PPP program.

How’s that little $1,200 check looking to you now?

The list goes on and on.  As much as $273 million in federal coronavirus aid was awarded to more than 100 companies that are owned or operated by major donors to Trump’s election efforts.  Fast-food chains, oil and gas companies, and white-collar firms were all granted a slice of more than $659 billion in low-interest business loans that will be forgiven if the money is used on payroll, rent and similar expenses.  Money that was meant to keep those small businesses, the mom-and-pop bookstores and diners afloat during the crisis.

This is what happens when there is no oversight.  You’ll remember that Trump fired Glenn Fine, the man tasked with leading the group overseeing the entire $2.3 trillion package.  The United States now has $24.95 trillion in national debt, a sagging economy that will not recover this year, the people who could most afford to pay taxes, pay little or none.  There will come a day of reckoning, my friends.  Do you suppose Robert Jeffress, Jim Bakker, Governor Justice, Kanye West and the others will step up to the plate and offer to pay higher taxes to help bring the debt down?  Think on that one for a while.

28 thoughts on “Where Did Our Money Go?”

    • Hello 1EarthUnited. Thanks for the news. It had to be illegal. The US reached inside a sovereign country violating all their sovereign space / laws and killed people from a third sovereign country that were there at the first countries request to meet their leaders. This is the US acting like they own the world, that they have rights over everyone else. Imagine the outrage and response if another country did half the crap to the US on US soil the US does in other countries. Hugs

      Liked by 2 people

      • Hi Scottie, it’s insane what the US has gotten away with, it seems we’ve forgotten international law and decency. We’ve genuinely transformed into a rogue terrorist state.
        I totally understand why we’re the most hated country in the world… regardless of who’s president.

        Like

  6. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    DISGUSTING, TOTALLY DISGUSTING!! … “The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was part of the larger $2.3 trillion relief package was intended for small businesses, to allow them to keep paying their employees even when shut down due to the coronavirus.” ,,, THIS MAKES ME UTTERLY SICK!!

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Hello Jill. The really screw you part of the new Republican demand that the next stimulus have two things that will hurt the workers and unemployed. Nothing extra for those who can not find or there is no job available for with unemployment deliberate 1/3 of the workers wage, and the cut off for a stimulus check lowered to $40,000. It is based on your last years income tax, and for a couple that filed jointly that leaves out two income families who may have just have both lost their jobs. For example I am disabled on SSDI, and Ron just lost his job. Our joint income was over that $40,000 limit so neither of us will qualify for the new round of stimulus money under these rules. Yet scammers like Jim Baker and Paula white got their share of the taxpayer money they never paid into. I hate this government for the wealthy by the wealthy. Hugs

    Liked by 1 person

    • I hadn’t kept up with the next round of stimulus rules, for it seemed as if it wasn’t going to happen at all. You’re right … those two things will hurt many people who need some help. Like you, mine and Chris’ combined incomes are over the $40k cut-off. I worry more, though, about others who are still unemployed, or as states begin shutting down again, will become unemployed again. The family with kids to feed and no help in sight. Sigh. Like you, I hate this plutocracy we are living under. It started long ago, but in the era of Trump has evolved into a government where the rest of us, those who aren’t wealthy, do not matter one bit. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Sheesh…and have I mentioned that I have yet to see the $1,200? My husband and I filed taxes jointly, but have separate bank accounts. We received the money for both of us in a single check, so now I have to go through the process of adding him to my bank account in order for us to cash the check :/

    A little conspiracy theory tangent: Kanye West is now running his own presidential campaign, which could potentially pull some black voters away from Biden. Could it be that this large loan for Yeezy is his payoff from Trump for doing this? Hmmmm…. Like I said, I’ve totally got my tinfoil hat on for this one.

    Liked by 2 people

    • No, you hadn’t mentioned it! Can’t he just sign the check, and then you can put it into your account, or vice versa? What an awful lot of trouble for a measly $2,400 that will barely cover a month’s rent and utilities.

      I’m not given to conspiracy theories, typically, but I agree with what you say. BUT … after thinking about it for a while, I don’t think that Kanye can pull many votes from Biden, for his ideology is too far-right to appeal to many who would vote for Biden. He might, however, pull votes from Trump, since he largely follows Trump’s platform of “America First”, and building up the military. But, bottom line is that I don’t think he will have more than a very small ripple overall. I think he has a huge ego that allows him to believe that his ‘fans’ will follow him “whither he goest”.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Yeah, I have to say that all my African-American friends think that Kanye is a lunatic, and they will not be voting for him. So that at least is the result of my small sample of that demographic.

        And yes, it does seem like a lot of trouble for what is not that much money in the end :/

        Liked by 1 person

    • It is disheartening, but also infuriating. There are so many needs … genuine needs … in this country today, and the money is being given to Robert Jeffress and Kanye West??? I just want to hurt someone over this! The religious celebs are the greatest hypocrisy in the 21st century and if there is a god, he is welcome to take them back any day now. Sigh. Needless to say, this one enrages me.

      Liked by 2 people

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