system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: The majority of government economic disaster relief funds should go directly to the consumer, not to corporations.

Whenever there is a major *economic* disaster (as opposed to the natural kinds), financial fear can spread quickly and cause consumers to scale back spending. Cash flow dries up and the economy grinds to a halt. Governments can jumpstart the economy by appropriating funds and injecting liquidity, which acts like financial grease.

Most of relief funding should go directly to individuals and families, not corporations (exceptions follow below). Here's why:  It is far more efficient to rescue an economy by helping the consumer than it is by giving the same amount to corporations. The consumer will spend the money where they need it most, which will incentivize companies to supply those needs and do so efficiently.

Example: Imagine that there are two farms:  One farm raises chickens and produces eggs, and another that only makes artisanal cheese from the rare milk of wild Siberian grass-fed goats. If you give 10 families each $20, they will likely reward the chicken farm with most of that $200, buying their chickens and eggs. But if instead you give each farm $100, the chicken farm producing the product in highest demand at this time will not get the funds they could use to expand their operations, hire additional workers, and better serve the community.

Exceptions: There may be a need to target specific industries, but it should be evaluated for health and safety reasons, not for mere convenience. Hospitals are one example where one can make a reasonable argument that their financial viability serves the public good.

Give the relief funds to the consumer and allow them to direct it to the products and services that are the most  valuable for them. The money gets spent and will still go to businesses  and corporations, but this way maintains market efficiencies while still  achieving in the desired outcomes.
gpt
> Whenever there is a major economic disaster (as opposed to the natural kinds)

COVID-19 is a natural disaster, not an economic one. It's a supply-side shock meaning that companies can't make things even though consumers want to buy them. It's different from a demand-side shock where consumers are afraid to buy even though companies are making stuff. The goal is to keep workers and businesses afloat until the natural disaster is resolved, not spur additional consumer demand for non-existent products.