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60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: February Edition

Welcome to February, known for the birthdays of two of our most beloved and admired presidents and for Saint Valentine's Day. George Washington, the father of our country was "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Abraham Lincoln fought to preserve the union and delivered the Emancipation Proclamation. Both were revered for their honesty and integrity.

Valentine's Day celebrates the love that people share and has become an indispensable holiday for the flower, candy, greeting card and restaurant industries. It's also helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil (shared bodily warmth). As an unusually cold and snowy winter continues to assail much of the country, let's celebrate the three pillars of Honesty, Integrity and Love. That's a foundation that can support a lot of weight. And now February's 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll results:

Only 9 percent of Americans think that WikiLeaks is a good thing. Twenty three percent think that it is destructive but legal and 22 percent think it is treasonous. But despite being prominently in the news for weeks for leaking classified documents from The State Department, and worse, for an organization that depends on notoriety to ply its trade, 42 percent of Americans aren't sure what WikiLeaks is.


A mere 4 percent of Americans are unabashedly interested in everything about the upcoming royal wedding. Another 9 percent are only interested to the extent of whether or not the union will last, and 21 percent are interested in some of it, seeing it as a harmless spectacle. Two thirds of Americans are not interested in any of it. It would be interesting to discover if their disinterest was due to apathy or disdain for monarchies in general, or for Prince William's family in particular. One can only hope that he and his future bride can avoid the crushing and intrusive coverage that led to his mother's sad ending. Goodnight sweet Prince, and good luck.


Nearly two-thirds of Americans check to see if there is a "Made in America" label on the products they are buying always (25 percent) or at least some of the time (39 percent). Twenty percent hardly ever do and 15 percent never do. In these tough economic times it's hard to blame people on a budget from saving where they can. After all, one of America's oldest axioms is Franklin's "a penny saved is a penny earned." However, as we become more aware of how a global economy works there's something nice about supporting American workers while hopefully helping to reduce unemployment and getting the higher quality that is associated with American products.


Not surprisingly, nearly 7 in 10 Americans think they are not getting paid what they're worth. For those making less than $50,000 it jumps to 77percent. High unemployment has skewed what people get paid to the advantage of the employers. But as times get better it will swing back to employees who vote best with their feet. It is not known whether Derek Jeter thinks he is undervalued, but what about Kansas City pitcher Gil Meche who voluntarily retired while still owed a guaranteed $12 million for 2011? He felt that he wasn't earning the money and felt bad about taking it. Now there's a guy who friends and family should value very highly.


It's kind of reassuring to know that our technology crazed and obsessed nation may not be quite as absorbed by their gadgets as was thought. Only 15 percent of Americans check their e-mail as soon as they wake up. Another 10 percent wait until they've had breakfast. Fourteen percent wait until they start work and another 14 percent are waiting for Godot (they don't use e-mail). Forty six percent of Americans check their e-mail when they get around to it. They probably don't like spam for breakfast.


Eighty three percent of Americans say they do not have Attention-Deficit Disorder, while 15 percent say they do. For those in the 18-29 year old category, it rises to 21 percent that say they have it. With Facebook, Twitter, chat rooms, instant messaging, e-mail, video games, thousands of apps and the frenetic lifestyle that accompanies all of those distractions, it's a wonder the number isn't even higher.


Talk about a Sophie's choice: Adolf Hitler still carries the most reviled surname in America with 42 percent. Thirty percent want no part of the name Bin Laden and the anti- American sentiments associated with it. Twenty eight percent didn't know or refused to answer, one of the few times people in that category get a free pass for not wanting to play along.


This issue has been with us for a long time, probably since Valley Forge (how do you think some of the soldiers survived that winter?). Let us finally put this issue to rest. You can't get 80 percent of Americans to agree on much, but 80 percent do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. Armed Forces. It would seem all Americans should be grateful to anyone who risks their lives in service to their country. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" can now be officially renamed "Don't Care."


Pakistan (3 percent) is the least desirable choice for an ambassadorship probably due to a number of factors not the least of which is that it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. South Korea (9 percent) is next probably due to its proximity to rogue nation North Korea. Next up is Sudan (11 percent) with plenty of unrest to go around. The two most popular places to be posted are China (28 percent) with exotic locales, Asian delicacies and dynamic coastal cities and Mexico (36 percent) with ocean resorts, delicious dining, fun nightlife (can you spell Tequila Sunrise?) and of course a very convenient location for homesick Americans.


Ninety two percent of Americans are proud of their life so far, which is good on many levels. However, if you watch TV or read the papers they are full of people displaying bad behavior. Whether it's on reality TV, the tabloids, confessional talk shows, reports on swindles, cons and many other crimes that produce the criminals that are filling up our jails, there seem to be a lot of bad actors out there. There's a good chance a lot of those people were out when the poll called with this question.


Even though 17 percent of Americans mistook him for someone else and 28 percent didn't know who he is, an impressive 55 percent knew that Michael Bloomberg is the mayor of New York City. How many of those people also know that the competent and independent Bloomberg is also a wildly successful billionaire?


This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 1,058 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone Dec.17-20, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Click here for more on the poll results.

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