I think that misses the nuance of what happens as this shakes out. We have ghost towns all over the west and cities with a fraction of their historic population

I think that misses the nuance of what happens as this shakes out. We have ghost towns all over the west and cities with a fraction of their historic population in the middle of the country. Maybe employment is 95% in whatever county that ghost town is in, but that is only because people have left for other jobs and not stuck around to be destitute. And this was made possible thanks to there being other jobs available someplace else. Now, what happens if there are no jobs available someplace else? Would the sort of leadership we have in power these days consider a New Deal esque plan for mass public work projects and employment opportunities when the private sector has none available? Or would they see it as an opportunity to bring back a sort of feudalism or plantation economy where people aren’t really compensated at all and allowed to starve if not immediately economically useful?