Where do you get these numbers? There are no jobs paying $40/hr. to high school dropouts. Also, do you consider everybody who works in manufacturing to be a high school dropout or is it just the arrogance in your own head that says that blue-collar workers are dumb and useless?
You ever looked at Detroit wages/benefits? Even today?
How about the union thugs in the longshoreman's union? $80K+/year to push container-crane buttons. Or those who supervise these thugs? $110K+ to push paperwork.
Click here for some details. I excerpt:
The highest paid longshoreman on the West Coast docks earns $340,000 a year. That's a job worth protecting. Average pay for members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) ranges from $105,278 to $167,122, depending on the job category. Part-time workers on the docks can earn as much as $70,000 a year.
Time for robots to do this.