@LeotCol Actually, depending on what you are doing, an automatic may make it more difficult, if not impossible (or nearly so). I know that when I am on slippery roads, I vastly prefer a stick since there is actually a direct relationship between my right foot and the amount of torque applied to the drivewheels; something that you lack once a torque converter replaces the clutch.
Automatics may make commuting easier and let you focus on the rules of the road, but personally I can pretty much shut off my brain when I have three pedals whereas I sometimes have to think when I only have two. Something about unexpected shifts is unnerving at best and has, on a few occasions, nearly killed me in the winter time.
Then again, unlike parts of Europe, knowing how to drive in bad weather is not a requirement to get/keep a license in the US so long as you fill in the right bubble on the test form.