Now is actually a good time to be short sighted and not big picture.

Being on reserve especially as a commuter isn’t sitting around. Further those not on reserve are working everyday and if those below them weren’t on reserve they would be and they would be sitting around “doing nothing”. Pre Covid all airlines had reserves and many “did nothing” as you incorrectly describe.

Further, in your lifetime tell me how the national debt increasing has affected your life in any way for the worse? And while it’s the highest it’s ever been it’s not the highest it’s ever been as a percentage of GDP. We aren’t Greece. We actually can spend our way out of this.

I’m not advocating for an endless welfare state because if you never get back to producing then servicing the debt does become a problem, but spending big for a short term crisis actually makes perfect sense. As long as GDP grows faster than the debt over time it literally never has to be paid back in its entirety. Old pieces get paid off as new pieces get added. This can go on forever as long as GDP over time grows at a faster rate than the debt. 2020 is a point on chart and while this year the debt will grow and GDP will contract it’s only a small point in history. You obviously cannot do it forever but history shows that not spending enough now will cost more on revenues later than you save today.

Your life and finances have a finite horizon. The United States does not. Stop thinking about it like your household budget.