Darn Americans

As an American, I have confidence when I say that we always think we are superior and more competent than our international counterparts.  We lack general "street-smartness," make common errors dealing with good old 'dinero' that can later cause trouble, and tell people to put in 110% effort, even though that is literally impossible.  This article exemplifies our math illiteracy and puts a lot of the blame on our teachers.  It claims that they teach in a very monotonous way while never going beyond finding the answer. I think this is basically true, but we have to understand that these tedious skills will help us in the long run( (maybe).  If math teachers emphasized real-life issues such as insurance, taxes, mortgages, or anything else pertinent to our future, I feel like we would be more  wholesome.  Twenty years from know it will be more important if I know how to make a budget than knowing pythagorean identities, but what Americans don't understand is that we need basic math knowledge that comes from the classroom in order to succeed in life.  We don't want to receive a quarter lb burger when we pay for a 1/2 pounder or have more money takeout of our paychecks for taxes than should be.  Americans can be selfish and stingy, and unfortunately real imbeciles at times, but it is not that difficult to avoid this by merely paying attention to a lesson and using parts of it to help you in the real world where decisions and correct answers actually make an impact.  Many have a preconceived notion that they have supremacy over everyone else and because of that it isn't necessary to learn more.  These people will sure be struggling when they are in a bland conversation, wishing they knew how to spice things up with an infusion of questions regarding exponential equations and if the population will really double like the "rule of 72" predicts.