Some numbers surrounding the Duke/Progress merger for thought
From NCPolicywatch.com:

44.7 million – Amount in dollars that former Duke CEO Bill Johnson will receive in severance payments (WRAL.com citing Bloomberg News)

981 – Number of average North Carolina families for whom this amount would represent their combined annual income (North Carolina Quick Facts from U.S. Census Bureau)

75,000 – Amount in dollars of personal income above which individual happiness benefits fall off dramatically (Researchers at Princeton University as reported in the July 7, 2012 edition of the New York Times)

596 – Minimum number of average Americans who could be lead happy lives with $44.7 million in combined annual income (Id.)

4 – Number of times over that Johnson’s package could compensate North Carolina’s surviving eugenics victims under a proposal funded by the North Carolina House, but not the state Senate (WRAL.com citing AP report June 5, 2012)

700,000 – Amount in dollars that would still be left over (Id.)

940 – Number of public school teachers that the package would fund for a full-year (N.C. Department of Public Instruction)

8,500 – Number of North Carolina four year-olds for whom $44.7 million would provide a year of quality childcare (N.C. Pre-K program)

272,670,000 – Total value of affordable housing for low income families that the award-winning North Carolina Housing Trust Fund would leverage with an appropriation equivalent to Johnson’s package (North Carolina Housing Finance Agency)

4,548 – Estimated number of construction jobs that would be created as a result of such an outlay (Id.)

0 –Amount in General Fund dollars appropriated to the Trust Fund by the N.C. General Assembly in the 2012-13 state budget (North Carolina General Assembly)

7 – Percentage that consumer electric rates for Duke Energy customers will rise under recent order of the N.C. Utilities Commission (Multiple news outlets)

22% – Fraction of Johnson compensation package that Duke will spend on low-income energy assistance for all people in North Carolina as part of the Duke-Progress merger (WTVD News)

4% – Fraction of Johnson compensation package that Duke will spend on NC Greenpower, a nonprofit promoting renewable energy (Id.)

1,863 – Number of 2012 Toyota Prius Twos (EPA est. 51/48 mpg) that package could purchase (Toyota.com)

23,541 Number of high end, highest efficiency LG refrigerators that this amount could purchase for low income North Carolinians (EnergyStar.gov)

25,371,428 – Number of energy efficient (60W) light bulbs from that this amount could purchase for low income North Carolinians (HomeDepot.com)