Are you from nestle?...because they think exactly this about water...even if the earth gives it for free, but hey please earn your right to breathe air...and lets see how far you come.
Aren't earning & deserving two sides of the same coin? You deserve something because you did what was necessary to earn it - you earnt it so you deserve it?
e.g. in GP's comment - the 'well-intentioned developers' 'deserve' to make a living, because they earnt it by making the nice 'free-ish software' and being 'well-intentioned' etc.?