[anon291]

> My wife rose to an executive position in a big company without knowing her 'times tables'.

Well that alone explains a lot of the problems this country is in, and is not the stunning argument for your side you may believe it to be.

[lcuff]

Perhaps. She did know how to use a calculator, and generally she does better at arithmetic things than I do (balancing the checkbook, eg.) because she knows she's not good, whereas I know I'm good, so I'm more careless. Also, math wasn't and isn't important in many jobs, including hers. So "explains a lot of the problems this country is in" isn't the stunning argument for your side you may believe it to be. No offense intended.