Financial prospects for the U.S. have deteriorated to a state where the probability of a default in the full faith and credit of the U.S. government is actually higher than a handful of top tier U.S. publicly traded corporations.

FORBES: Big Corporations Look Like Better Borrowers Than Uncle Sam

There is even the probability that the state's share of GDP may slip back in the short term, as the recovery lifts the overall economy.

ECONOMIST: The ever-growing state

He was denied parole three times when the state Parole Board found there was a "reasonable probability" he would break the law again.

WSJ: NY political adviser freed after fraud conviction

Florida's statute-suggested living will, for example, directs life-prolonging treatments to be stopped if there is "no reasonable medical probability" of recovery from a terminal condition or persistent vegetative state.

WSJ: How to Fix Living Wills