Carlifornia is one of the worst states in the US. [quote] In the past two decades, the money that states spend on prisons has risen at six times the rate of spending on higher education. In 2011, California spent $9.6 billion on prisons, versus $5.7 billion on higher education..... The state spends $8,667 per student per year. It spends about $50,000 per inmate per year. Why is this happening? Prisons are a big business. Most are privately run. They have powerful lobbyists and they have bought most state politicians. Meanwhile, we are bankrupting out states and creating a vast underclass of prisoners who will never be equipped for productive lives. [99] — Fareed Zakaria, CNN, March 30, 2012[/quote] Here's one reason why ^ As for the gay marriage situation, I can see the outlook improving. It really feels like we are at the tipping point; a number of countries are in the process of/have adopted gay marriage, and the United States shall hopefully, federally, follow suit.