I don't think they called it a return, they said it did return. They don't mean it in the sense that there was a profit made in terms of benefit, the benefit th

I don't think they called it a return, they said it did return. They don't mean it in the sense that there was a profit made in terms of benefit, the benefit they are describing comes via the money changing hands and allowing all the people it exchanges through being able to get something. You give it to the hungry, they buy food, the people who run places that sell food do things like buy new clothes and tvs, the people who make clothes and tvs invest in things, etc. At least as I read their argument they are suggesting a "trickle up" effect, whereby cash in the hands of people who aren't in a position to just park it in real estate or something gets spread around and improves the overall flow of cash in an economy, not the overall amount of cash