Only the person who sold you the stock does, and if he or she simply squirrels the proceeds away your investment provides very minimal short-term benefit. There are, however, some ways in which you CAN support the U.S. in a much more effective manner. Here are some suggestions of ways you can get more bang for your patriotic buck. Yep, break out the money and go out there and buy something. I almost cannot believe I am saying this, as a true believer in living beneath one's means.
Reality is, nothing gets the economy going like a little spending.
The dollars that pay the workers are recycled once again, and so on, and so on. Economists estimate that each dollar spent by a consumer can cycle through the economy as many as 10 times. Earnings drive the markets. Revenues drive earnings. Those revenues come from you.