[caseysoftware]

> So the loan forgiveness was by _design_ and the point of the program was to keep businesses alive when the governments themselves were (for perhaps good reason) making it impossible for them to operate. It's not really "forgiveness" in the sense of, say, the college loan forgiveness program.

I think this is a key point.

The PPP "loans" effectively became a payout to mitigate the chance & success of businesses suing the government en mass for the shutdown orders.

When you sue an entity civilly, you have to show damages. The PPP "loans" countered those damages (and often more) which means the threshold for a successful lawsuit just got WAY higher.