The question is whether the balance between the private sector (profitable by nature) and the government (unprofitable by nature) has shifted so much that there won't be enough rebound to cover the overhead, to pay the economy's fixed costs while it digs out from recession.
If a company truly has excess cash on its balance sheet that is not needed to fund future profitable projects, then distributing it to shareholders is the right thing to do.
He then cleared out the executive ranks, fixed the company's balance sheet and turned the company into one of the most profitable big engineering and construction firms in the world.
Additionally it will also help Jones to improve its balance sheet and allow the company to leverage the additional cash by investing in its more profitable luxury operations.