Basically all this says is "I am rich compared to people in Michigan, but not rich compared to people in Palo Alto". Well, no shit! This is a close relative of

Basically all this says is "I am rich compared to people in Michigan, but not rich compared to people in Palo Alto". Well, no shit! This is a close relative of how people outside the developed world view Americans. We are exorbitantly wealthy -- all of us -- when put against the standards of someone from the islands of the southern Philippines. But most Americans are actually not wealthy, when considering their circumstances.