The issue is that automation will only get cheaper as time goes on. Therefor in order to compete with automation the lower skilled will have to reduce their wag

The issue is that automation will only get cheaper as time goes on. Therefor in order to compete with automation the lower skilled will have to reduce their wage further over time in order to compete. A classic narrow view meme, overlooking many other balancing factors. Thanks to increased automation: prices drop (making basics & luxuries more affordable to all), new markets are created, new mundane jobs are created before they can be automated. The cycle repeats; disparities happen, but they get worked out and equilibrium is restored. I'm concluding the biggest barrier to self-sustinence is socialistic government has made functional low-income living practically illegal. You can't live in settings considered normal not long ago, you can't start businesses without traversing a bureaucratic nightmare, you can't own land without near-prohibitive taxes amounting to rent. We've been here before many times. It will work out, suffering thru the same unlearned-from mistakes.