lousy U.S. textbooks

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12705167/

This is an article on the poor state of textbooks, caused by the need for textbook publishers to satisfy politically oriented school boards.
Examples are easy to find. I explained to a young man that when oil is hydrogenated, it means that hydrogen atoms are added to the oil molecules. He insisted there was no change to the makeup of the fat, that hydrogenation was appled to the outside of the canned oil. Presumbably being cold, and thereby causing it to solidify from the low temperature. I tried to point out that if that were the case, the oil would return to liquid form at room temperature, but he was sure I was wrong. He appeared to be in his late teens, possibly early 20's, and he was about to go to some kind of science fiction event.
I also met several people said that they couldn't eat food cooked with solid vegetable shortening, because it was good for their hearts, but that they could eat all the beef they wanted, that it was not harmful.

No wonder the citizens of our country are overweight and unhealthy.