Yall do realize that Mike is just honoring a previous agreement right? These guys were told their families would be taken care of financially if they got pinched but now the money isn't there.
All Mike is doing is holding up the previous arrangement and protecting his ass in the process. Even if he decided paying them wasn't worth it how exactly is Mike supposed to get at them and it not be traced back to him? If those people suddenly start showing up dead it'll just put that much more heat on Mike (who would be the last one alive).
walt was right tho. mike and gus had a business.. mike and gus paid off these guys.. now the feds came in and took ALL the money. lets not forget, mike is broke too. all the dudes in jail, have zero dollars for their family. and the feds are offering to let someone keep the money, in order to snitch..
but see that's mike's problem. you don't hide that information, let me walk around with you and be seen, let me buy this company and cook up meth, hand it over... THEN when its time to split the money........
"oh yea i almost forgot, give me damn near a third of it, and i'll be giving it to some other guys you never seen or heard of or even know if i'm lying. also, i could be under the eye of the feds. oh and this will be happening pretty much forever"
yea, i'd be looking to kill that guy too. especially when nobody even knows me and really you're the ONLY link back to the motherfukking F B I. they need mike's connects and manpower for now. but the moment i could cut him out, i'd do just the same
ego or not.. that's just smart business