It is an interesting take on "refining" them. Certainly in the most literal sense of the word you are correct. But what a refinement. Take the phone when it was invented and how bulky it was and the hard line with operators required and compare it to your current smartphone. Sure, it isn't a new invention, but there were little inventions along the way that allowed for the phone to become what it was. Where was wireless back then?
So I feel you are trivializing the progress we have made - examine it critically and conclude. You may find if you're honest you can't support your viewpoint that there has been very little in the way of breakthroughs aside from genetics.
And how do you know that your potential offspring might not be the one to make the next big discovery (obviously, we don't know what we haven't discovered so I can't give an example), but what if it were revolutionary?
Stop thinking of it as meat for the grinder - yes, taxes suck, and it's too bad there are so many people who expect to live on the backs of others, but we also enjoy things they cannot, nor can they ever hope to have. And if enough people get fed up (those who are actually contributing), we can change the meat grinder outlook. But we never will if you take a defeatist attitude. Look at this article I was reading a while ago - whether its true or not I do not know, but if it is, then excellent start.
http://www.usherald.com/maine-welfar...heir-benefits/
http://cnsnews.com/blog/eric-scheine...k-requirements
Finally, have you read Ayn Rand's - "Atlas Shrugged"? Its a long book no doubt, but one I suspect you'd enjoy given your outlook on the "meat grinder society". If you enjoy reading, I'd recommend it (it is fiction, but interesting).