> If you're offering me $300/hr and the other guy is offering me $400/hr, a whole lot of things start to matter more than the differential.

I’m not sure which Catholic saint said that, but one requires a minimum of material conditions in order to practice spiritual virtues.

> when you can afford to eat, when you can afford a house, when you can afford to not work anymore, and so on

When you can buy a government, a couple billion seems like a small loss.