that power isn't to compete "over the ledger", but kust for the next block so they can get paid. its a business. it's literally no different than starting a company that makes shoes or builds houses or teaches people in a school. that is simply a business. the difference is that when somebody becomes part of the Bitcoin economy, it doesn't matter how big and powerful any of the miners are, that oerson still has the same value in the Bitcoin economy. big or small miners don't change that value.  

 El Savador doesn't hash only to monetize their power, they recognize that engaging in hashing is the only way to ensure permissionless access to the network.  El Salvador guarantees their transactions cannot be censored in this way.  So many Bitcoiners have lost sight of this fact, effectively trusting other people not to censor them.  The people will wake up eventually and become one of the most dominant hash powers on the planet specifically to ensure their transactions aren't censored. 

 definitely agree with the idea of not wanting their transactions censored, but that is the case whether El Salvador mines or not. the only befit to them mining is if they have access to cheap power that can provide them more Bitcoin than if they were to buy it directly (accounting for other intermediaries, convince/complexity, etc.). in that aspect, it's just like business. or at the least, very analogous.  

 unless you control your own hash power, you are engaging in a trust-based system where you trust miners to include your transactions in the block, period.

El Salvador.. as the first country deeming it legal tender must mine their own blocks to guarantee they aren't censored for any reason.  This is not disputable.