I think the use of calculators at an early level is a great thing. For one thing, calculators give kids a sense that math actually works, a solid thing that can be checked and thus grasped without guidance. Being only 25 myself, I don't know how that felt for disinterested students back in the days of slide rules.
Most practical curricula only teach how to repeat math, that is, to follow well-known recipes in order to find answers people need, and it is maybe we are seeing disheartening to see the effects of less lack of practice doing soalgebra and arithmetic. I think most people only use the math they've really practiced and feel comfortable with. But if you think about the benefits of playing with math when it comes to pattern recognition and developing logical ideas, then perhaps the more time spent on calculators and other toys, the better.
