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was to turn the US into a 3rd World country that nobody would want to come to.
They're getting there.
when I buy gas, I generally buy a pack of smokes or a beer or two. When I am told the total, it tell them to give me X amount of gas to round the total up to an even amount like $30 or $40. I don't know how many times clerks have been amazed that I can do this in my head. One time a clerk said "Oh, you're good at this". What? At third grade math? Yeah, I am a regular Albert Einstein 
Or if the total is $17.20, give the cashier $22.20.
With the younger ones, usually under 30 yrs. old, 80-90% of the time it confuses them.
Or if you have under 10 items have the exact money ready before they tell you the total.
What they really can't figure out is how we do the taxes in our head. 
It's really sad how schools have gotten away from learning.
Reading has gone by the wayside too.
My brother will be 39 on Monday and he just recently told me that the last novel he read was in high school.
Don't get me wrong. He is a smart guy. He went to HVAC school and is a very good auto mechanic but all he has read are textbooks.
He was amazed that I read 2 Dean Koontz and 3 John Scalzi books this week.
I told him that was unusual but I'm following a series with both of them and I don't have anything else to do as I haven't been feeling well the past two weeks. I do try to read at least a couple of books a month though.
Ooops. I'm rambling. That happens more often than not.
Take care. 
I have always loved books. I am just finishing up Catch22 for the second time, and getting ready to read Oliver Twist for the first time. I may read Shogun while I am at it. I read it 20 years ago- it was a fun book. You take care, too
Painfully so. 
