"Proof positive Americans are failing in science."
Is it any wonder that snake-oil salesmen selling 200-mpg carburetors, vortex generators, magnetic molecule aligners, fuel catalyzers, magic hydrogen generators, and so on, find a never-ending stream of suckers to bilk? I suspect that many of the hucksters don't even understand themselves why what they're selling is impossible.
OTOH, an over-familiarity with what conventional wisdom says is impossible can be a detriment to advances in technology. Still always good to have a grounding in the basics, however, so that you know the right questions to ask - if someone has some device or process that appears to be breaking the commonly-understood laws of physics they'd better have a good explanation for it.
Desktop Fusion: Been there, done that.