Have You Noticed...?

Have you noticed how often we use there's in place of there're? So, according to what we learned in elementary, there's = there is (singular) and there're = there are (plural). Why do I hear so many (and I do mean many) people say things like, "There's so many people... or there's a few reasons..."? I just read an article on MSN Health & Fitness that quoted a lady as saying, "There's thousands of babies born that way every year." So what she actually said was, "There is thousands of babies born that way every year." There is so many people..., there is a few reasons. I hear this in person, on TV, and I read it. Every day! It bugs me so much. What's happening to our grammar?