[sans-serif]

But why not a billion dollars? The worst that happens is someone has more than they need. And then what happens?

One of two things:

1: It sits in the bank, where it's lent out for investment

2: It's spent, possibly on something optional but still legitimately useful and non-frivolous, in which case it flows back out into the economy

I don't see a bad outcome..!

[lilsunnybee]

That would be a massive redistribution of wealth, much more than needed. The billion wouldn't end up being a billion though, due to runaway inflation.

[mkr-hn]

People who win the lottery often end up worse off than when they started. Giving everyone a multiple of the highest lottery winning every year would be destructive.