And when I wrote this comment, the process you describe below is more likely than my "parasitic wealthy kill[ing] off the technicians" - although I can envision scenarios where the difference is very hazy.

You need an educated middle class to keep that going! And by educated I don't mean economics and management "sciences" but natural science and engineering. In 50 to 100 years we may be like medieval people looking in wonder at decaying but still magnificent Roman structures with no clue how on Earth the Romans managed to build them. Or, even worse, early medieval people with an awareness of how they were built but also of their own inability to replicate the work.

you are the media you consume.