"Is this a matter of the problems pointed out are "correct" technically, but they may or may not be the "right" thing to spend time on?"

I'm pretty sure you've already got it, this sounds like it. I would only add that a conscientious person checks whether their comment is adding to the conversation (not anxiously; just subconsciously, as a habit). The parent to your comment is saying that if you're 'correct' you're in the clear that way.

I think the thing about being "right" is that if you're right (i.e. your addressee is wrong) you have enough social capital to take that tone with somebody. If you're wrong and you take up an 'I'm right' tone, you come off like you don't care about thinking things through before you make an investment of your time.

He's not "right", though, because adopting any of these recommendations would cost anywhere from tens- to thousands- of dollars, and would be unlikely in the aggregate, even if all of them were adopted, to make Patrick one additional dollar.