Not as long as manual transmissions deliver better fuel economy, better acceleration, and better reliability (usually) than automatic transmissions.
Automatic transmissions are virtually guaranteed to fail at high miles. Other than a wear-and-tear component (clutch and throwout bearing), manual transmission almost NEVER fail.
And with regards to safety being less with a stick, that's total bs. One's hand is off the wheel to shift for probably .5 seconds. The extra control and (engine) braking one gets from a manual are huge safety pluses in my book.