Gabe – I’m right there with you. A new book called “Shop Class as Soulcraft” has raised some interesting points along these lines. A favorite blog (Front Porch Republic) just did a week-long symposium on it.  This summary of the book touches on a surprising amount of your questions – the value of the craftsman, how we got here, and where do we go from here. I’d be very curious to know what you think of it.
But in the meantime, perhaps this will cheer you up. It’s my new favorite (click to expand):
