Ross, I think Maslow would disagree. He felt that money is not a motivator. Motivators work to cause more work output as the motivator level goes up, and seem to have no limits. Maslow felt that money is a hygenic factor. His belief was that if you over-pay people, they will not over-work, but if you do not pay them enough, they will work less. If money was truly a motivator, over-paying people would make them work more and more.
That said, he was speaking of the general public. Any one individual may find that money acts like a motivator for them. This is the dangerous situation you seem to be describing.
Look out!