That partnership is as old as Firefox itself, but each user can use whatever search engine they cars to use - no reason you have to use Google just because it is the default in Firefox.

Search engines in the Search Bar can be deleted.
The search engine used in the Awesome Bar can be changed via about:config .
The search engine on the about: home page can be changed, although not as easily as with the Awesome Bar.

As to "why", who knows? When Google offered to help Mozilla with financial support via their search engine being the default search engine for Firefox, was Mozilla supposed to say no over something which every other search engine also did at that time?

Google gives Mozilla some of their pocket change each contract period for the rights to be default search engine.

You can use whatever search engine you like in the Search bar as you can install more from places like http://mycroft.mozdev.org/

I just figured they wouldn't have since they don't track what people do. I figured they were against that.

I hear what you're saying the-edmeister