the problem with the checkout form going to a failure was due to the way the shipping rule was configured, i updated the shipping rule to correct the problem.
i also updated the express checkout button to work, now the express checkout goes to checkout failure showing the following message from paypal:
Security errorSecurity header is not
this means the API credentials are being rejected, this can happen if the API Credentials are for a live account and you enable sandbox mode or vice versa, it can also happen if the you do not accept the billing agreement with paypal.