I understand that, I definitely use ssh when connecting via the internet. I don't think it's right to dump on FTP or telnet, though, especially when similar problems occur with other protocols/applications.
The problem with so-called "secure" software, like ssh, is that it's taken for granted. Most users jump and say what the poster above said. Security is about mitigating the ineviatable. There is no security catch-all. Let's not delude ourselves.
So are you more likely to get your passwords sniffed by some man-in-the-middle, or are you more likely to get hit by the next ssh-exploiting worm that floats by? It's hard to say...
And don't forget, the versions with holes in them were at one time "the most recent version"...
My point was that ssh is not foolproof. It takes as much work to secure a box with only ssh remote access as it does to secure one using telnet or ftp or whatever. I by no means think everyone should stop using ssh, but I also don't believe that telnet should not be used either.