The storefront of Mark Shriner’s small business, The Coffee House, in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. Courtesy: Mark Shriner Mark Shriner needed help. It was spring 2020, and his coffee shop in Lincoln, Nebraska, was at risk as the Covid-19 pandemic forced small businesses like his to close their doors. So he sought assistance from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, which was intended to keep small businesses afloat as the virus spread and customers stayed home.   All three of his applications were rejected.  “I tried everything,” said Shriner, who owns The Coffee House in downtown Lincoln. “Every time, the government basically told me, ‘Tough luck, honey.'” PPP loans were designed…