Debate: is life better today than it was in the early 1900's
Side: No

I wrote this a couple of years ago and I think it states my opinion on this.Broken Don’t Fix ItIs everything the way it should be in the world? I don't think so. Broken, don't fix it seems to be the universal policy of this country anyway. This policy is used again and again in everything around us. We used to fix things things when they quit, now we just buy a new one when it quits. Televisions, clothes washers, dryers, dishwashers, clocks, radios, lamps, lawn mowers, chairs and the list of disposable items is endless. I can remember having all of these things fixed, now the landfills and scrap yards are the undertakers of our belongings. When I was growing up, it was a big deal to buy an appliance. We packed into the car and drove 30 miles to purchase the latest addition to the family. Now the convenience of picking one up just around the corner and at a lot cheaper price, has made it an item of little or no importance to us as a family. It is no longer a member of the family and is no longer valued.This broken, don't fix it attitude is everywhere, from the White House to the work place and even in the school yards. President Bush's, "ah duh stay the course" is no answer to anything and that seems to be the only answer for everything in Washington and everywhere else. I believe, the biggest enemy we have is ourselves. Winston Churchill once said, " The best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter." So far we seem to be doing a pretty good job of proving him right. Suggest a change to your boss or coworker and see with what openness they receive your suggestion to a problem or way to improve things. I dare you to verify this broken, don't fix it philosophy that is in place and prove me wrong. Be assertive, even a little aggressive and don't worry about losing your job, make your boss worry about losing his." Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views it as obvious. Resist being credulous." These are words of wisdom given to Albert Einstein by his first employer Fredrich Haller. Einstein years later was still working off Haller's advise when quoted as saying," Blind respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." I tell you this, I have never had a job that is more important than doing the right thing or speaking my mind about how I think things should be done to improve things. If somebody's ego gets stepped on so be it. Nothing great has ever been done by playing it safe.In the early nineteen hundreds great things were accomplished during the industrial revolution. The people of this era poured all that they had into changing the course of history. Most of them put body and soul into advancing their ideas and creating their inventions. Several of them lost their lives or were seriously injured doing what they loved. If it wasn't for this deep rooted passion, we would have no luxuries or conveniences. One of these courageous souls was R.G. Letourneau, poor fellow growing up, mechanically inclined, lived through a broken neck, started a business, brought revolutionary changes to the construction industry and ended up selling his company for 31 million dollars in 1951. This is just one of the many great men that transformed not only this country but the world forever. Since those days, we have done very little to change the world forever.We have put limits on our imagination and discouraged the passionate from pursuing their dreams by demanding safety for all individuals. Setting up rules and regulations to protect those to stupid to protect themselves. OSHA is one of these, that have killed more than saved. Killed the desire to achieve greatness, stomped out passion, eliminated enthusiasm and saved a finger. Broken, don't fix it, won't cut it here. I'm afraid that we have taken out any excitement that could have been obtained from working and become mindless drones.I speak of this, from someone that has tasted the thrill of being 100 feet up, blowing around in the wind like a chime ( no safety equipment ) and working in an open trench 20 feet down in the ground ( no safety equipment ) Don't pass judgment on me; motorcycle operator, skydiver, bungee jumper, smoker, drinker, pot head, drug user, amusement park junkie, and everybody else that likes the thrill of what they do. I have a right to complain my thrill is working, not an entertainment.If I followed all of OSHA's rules I would be working in a padded room with a straight jacket on. The only thing wrong here, is that I take less risk then the majority of the population and have to abide by rules designed for morons. One thing that I know is that I won't offend anybody by writing this. For this simple reason if you are too stupid to keep your hand out of a machine, then I know you can't read this. As for me, I am broken beyond repair and would like to thank those that made this possible.