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60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: March Edition

It is said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Since this winter has been particularly brutal in many parts of the country, let's hope for an early lamb-like spring. While we're at it, let's also throw in some fun diversions along the way that might lift our spirits and warm our hearts. How about Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick's Day and March Madness to name a few? Happy Spring, and now the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll results for March:

Fourteen percent of our respondents think that it's a good idea and 19 percent don't know how they feel about it. However, nearly two-thirds of Americans think that it would be a bad idea to edit out all references to the N-word in "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and replace it with the word "slave." Explaining Mark Twain's (Samuel Clemens') mindset, which was formed while growing up in mid-nineteenth century Midwestern America, might be a challenge. He used those experiences to write this American classic, and giving them historic context to young readers should be an example of what teaching is all about. It appears that this issue has provided students and teachers with a great opportunity for a teachable moment and a strong majority of Americans seem to agree.

Check out the Vanity Fair slideshow.

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It is tempting to blame a system that has been influenced by lobbyists and dominated by conglomerates for the epidemic of childhood obesity in America. Despite this temptation, 71 percent of Americans lay the blame at the feet of the parents. There could be a long, drawn out debate about who is most to blame for this scandal, but there is no time. Michelle Obama has championed the cause. There is no need for finger pointing - now is the time for everyone to get involved, especially the parents.


Only a third of Americans are very or at least somewhat interested in visiting Cuba; two thirds of Americans have little or no interest in vacationing there. For over 50 years America has had very little interaction with this Communist-ruled island located less than 100 miles from Key West, Fla. In that time it has transformed from an exotic land of beauty and history to a degraded paradise. It may be time for the Cuban people to "walk like an Egyptian."


In every instance, a strong majority of Americans do not want laws against breastfeeding (80 percent), spanking (67 percent), cigar smoking (66 percent), cursing (62 percent) or spitting in public (61 percent). It is doubtful that many of these respondents enjoy viewing these actions, but they probably tolerate them because the alternative of so much government intrusion in our daily life would be worse.


Seventy seven percent of Americans would support a loved one receiving a prescription for medical marijuana if they needed it. Those over 65 years old had the most opposition to the idea (31 percent). Anything that can alleviate the pain of human suffering with minimal negative effect should be an option, especially if the cost is not prohibitive. Most Americans seem to agree, this is a totally different issue than casual drug use.


Only 2 percent said the day after St. Patrick's Day, cinco percent said Cinco de Mayo and 8 percent thought the day after the Super Bowl should be a holiday (aka holy day) - after all, football is a religion in some regions. Twenty two percent were adventurous enough to choose a random "surprise" holiday that would change every year, they were offset by 22 percent who wanted no new holidays (bah humbug). And the winner with 37 percent of the American vote is: Election Day. It would be interesting to see how many more or less Americans might vote if everyone had Election Day off.


Good news for the down but not entirely out auto, real estate and music industries: Americans think there may be hope for you yet. For the beleaguered newspaper industry 23 percent of Americans say the typewriting is on the wall, and for the tobacco industry it's even worse, with 54 percent saying that it looks like money invested in that business might just go up in smoke.


Although 21 percent don't know, and 22 percent guessed wrong, 57 percent of Americans did know that Tunisia, the country that started the anti-authoritarian uprisings that are spreading throughout the Middle East and North Africa, is located in Africa. It was sparked (literally) by a single man, a fruit vendor who felt wronged by the system and yearned to be free. He paid the ultimate price. Freedom and democracy are among the most powerful human drivers in the world. Americans experienced that long ago. We should take pains never to forget it.


Just under three fourths of Americans think that if the U.S. had no state secrets and all government information was made public, that we would be more vulnerable to our enemies. The remaining one fourth think that we would be stronger due to that openness. The three out of four margin is fairly consistent regardless of the respondents' political affiliation or ideology. It appears that most Americans agree that some secrets are worth protecting.


A quarter of Americans think that it would be great to retire between the ages of 50 and 55. Forty five percent think the ideal retirement age is between 60 and 65. Six percent would hold out to age 70, 10 percent are already retired and a hardy 11 percent say they don't intend to ever retire. With the economic fundamentals of America in tatters, bedrock retirement programs like Social Security and Medicare may soon be "on the table" as Congress looks for solutions. In the future, Americans may not have the luxury of choosing their own ideal retirement age.

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 1,137 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone January 27-30, 2011. 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. Read more about this poll.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

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