Yeah, not everyone has an EA. Something to keep in mind, EA does not mean free, just the pricing is hidden from you. It's definitely true they have different flavors of support too (aka Software Assurance).
These things contribute to why open source solutions are so popular, but of course, TANSTAAFL.
I am VERY aware of how much we spend on licensing. Volume licensing is simply a means to simplify license management. One key to rule them all, in a way. And our pricing is not obfuscated at all. Microsoft is very up front with us on how much it costs use per server/seat.