The hard truth that I'm trying to convey is that you can't tell how rich a people are just by looking at their conspicuous consumption. Just look at the Japanese, for instance. On a per capita basis, they spend twice as much on luxury goods than the Americans. Yet, the GDP per capita of America is higher than Japan. Their entire economy is nearly 3 times larger. Their number of billionaires are approximately 20 times that of Japan. Don't be beguiled by the long queues for Iphones and Louis Vuitton. Singaporeans are no more than glorified slaves and prostitutes