The 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll

The future of America's healthcare system has arrived front and center in the national dialogue. As the politicians and the lobbyists debate the details of how billions of dollars will be divvied up between Insurance Companies and their clients (aka hard working Americans), the 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair poll begins with two questions concerning the actual health of Americans.

The first question asks what changes Americans are making as a result of concerns about the H1N1 virus. It appears the vast majority of people will do nothing different or simply wash their hands more often. A small minority said they would refrain from kissing or shaking hands. So guys, at the end of a date if you get a handshake instead of a kiss, she's not worried about getting the flu, it's still your breath.

Americans are less sure about whether the swine flu vaccine will be effective or if an epidemic is coming anyway. About half think the vaccine will work, about one third think the epidemic is coming and 18 percent don't know. What should you do? Well, we're not doctors but…get a shot(if/when it's available), be ready for an epidemic, buy stock in hand sanitizer companies and fasten your seatbelt, it's already a bumpy ride.

Onto politics and the spate of memoirs being written by the many out of office Republicans now "at liberty." When asked which one we would most likely read, Condi Rice was the winner, beating out her former boss, his wife, Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney. The respondents probably feel that Secretary Rice will be their best shot at finding out what was really going on inside the Oval Office, even though, as we said, the guy who was sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office is writing a memoir too. Oh, by the way, nearly half of the respondents voted for some guy named "None."

Now for our monthly peek into the morals of our nation. People were asked if marijuana, assisted suicide, prostitution or steroids in sports should be legalized. Our Puritan forbears would be pleased to learn that a majority of Americans still say no to all four. There are vocal minorities that think it should be okay to get high and kill yourself with somebody's help. The biggest surprise? Only 10 percent of Republicans think prostitution should be legalized. Judging by the way that they foster and protect their lobbyist friends, is that being hypocritical or is it simply ironic?

What profession do you think most parents want for their kids today? Internet mogul or humanitarian? Not so much. Athlete, movie star, rock star? Not much at all. Doctor, lawyer, banker, president? Bingo, by a landslide it's still "Have you met my son, the doctor?" So what has changed in the last 50 years? Not so much.

Staying with the subject of professions, respondents were asked which occupations were most likely to become obsolete in the U.S. in the next 50 years. If you're a fact-checker, U.N. peacekeeper or an airline pilot, breathe easy - you're looking good. If you're a newspaper reporter, you may want to catch the next dinosaur out of town. And the big winner? Tobacco farmers just don't get the respect they used to when they were helping to reduce the Social Security rolls by millions. Fully one third of those polled think that all those professions will still be around in 50 years. Bad news for those who enjoy a good smoke with their morning paper.

Now for a look into the future. When asked which of the following positive events would occur first, our intrepid prognosticators feel that the next big thing will be a cure for cancer, followed by the end of our dependence on oil. Much lower down on the list were finding signs of life in outer space and securing peace in the Middle East. We must say to those who assume that finding signs of life in outer space can only be filled with positive possibilities, have you ever read "The War of the Worlds?"

Now onto cultural phenomenon, specifically Facebook. People were queried as to whether they would use Facebook to make business "friends". Only 11 percent gave an enthusiastic "Yes," while fully two thirds said they either don't use Facebook or have never heard of it. Ouch. It appears that the top executives at Facebook may need a little more "face time" with their marketing department.

Now this next question is a political junkie's version of fantasy football: what state should secede from the United States? Maybe if our respondents were given more time to ponder the delicious possibilities, they might have come up with some creative ideas like building an iron curtain in the South and walling off Florida from the rest of us. But alas, 60 percent said none/not sure. A scant 10 percent said California (mostly Republicans) and a paltry 8 percent said Texas (mostly Democrats). What's this country coming to when we can't think of even one state to blame all our troubles on?

The list of catchphrases and buzzwords in the American lexicon continues to expand at an annoying rate. The poll asked people which ones were so annoying that they should be abandoned completely. There was no big winner but "get er done" edged out "green," "too big to fail," "staycation" and "a perfect storm." "At the end of the day," "in a perfect world" there would have been a "category killer" that would have "opened up a can of whoopass" on all of them and "gotten er done."

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