The money isn’t sitting in a vault - but it also isn’t necessarily being consumed. In order to leave the vault it must be invested or more typically loaned. As

The money isn’t sitting in a vault - but it also isn’t necessarily being consumed. In order to leave the vault it must be invested or more typically loaned. As the vault earns interest, a dynamic can emerge that consumers must borrow progressively larger sums in order to avoid bankruptcy. This occurred in the Great Depression where inequality rose and in turn debt loads. The fed has papered over this problem by simply printing more money. However historically, the US faired better following the massive federal wealth redistribution that was ww2. The US government can’t afford ww2 style spending programs, and increasing evidence shows that money printing isn’t helping the economy.