“China is in worse shape than us. “
I don’t agree. China is use to having nothing and their people don’t share in their apparent growth anyway.
Here the people have been conditioned to depend on our system and it will be a bigger problem for us if it collapses.
I agree with your second point. I respectfully disagree with your first. In the countryside you are correct. But the cities have a growing middle class. Not OUR style of middle class, but one of their own.