alt Hacker News> it's more likely the US will collapse like the USSR than it is for China to collapse
Certainly not ruling that out.
> Without Chinese production propping up the US, US stores would probably feel a lot like late-Soviet stores
I don't agree here. Without Chinese production, we'd simply still be producing stuff here.
> Without Chinese production, we'd simply still be producing stuff here.
No, the US can't anymore. The supply chains have moved to China now, and needed capital equipment and know-how has mostly been lost in the US. It would take a massive investment to get back to "simply ... producing stuff here."
And if anyone tries, the chorus of "muh iPhone expensive!" would be deafening, the politicians would retreat and go back to bickering about the culture war and plotting their next attack ad, and the businessmen would go back to counting their money.