Bingo. You hit the nail in the head. Most people who have never been to the US will be surprised when they land as it lacks many features of the developed world

Bingo. You hit the nail in the head. Most people who have never been to the US will be surprised when they land as it lacks many features of the developed world (as in comparing to Europe and Japan). What the US has right now is particular access to capital that enables it to attract talent from across the globe. It also has a relatively open system, so you can trade. This made it possible for highly innovative and powerful companies to exist. If you remove these companies and this capital; something that could happen rather quickly (most of them are in Software), a US citizen will probably have the same purchasing power as someone from Brazil.