I wonder if many of those who are putting trees up on Ancestry.com do it simply as a tool, not claiming that it's Gospel, just a work in progress. It's more of a past-time, not anything too serious.
I take very little from public trees because it's just too risky. If it's not sourced, it's not worth too much to me. My tree isn't up on Ancestry because of just that: it's a WORKING document, not meant for others to rely on, and I can keep it on my computer just as easily as online.
I do have a bit of a selfish bone to pick. My sons' ancestors came from all over Europe, and doing my and my husband's trees wouldn't be possible without online sites. And compared to the geographic size of the British Isles, the size of the US makes personal research of even recent ancestry just impossible for those who have jobs and families and pay bills. I agree we Americans are often a bit geographically-challenged, but certainly we must have other redeeming features!
