In an article in the Times of India today the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton says that, ' It ( India ) has vibrant democratic institutions, a free press, robust civil society, an innovative private sector and tens of millions of citizens whose talents have yet to be fully realised. ' Not true. Politicians are criminals, uncivil servants are thieves, police are brutal thugs, courts are paralysed, healthcare is unaffordable or lethal, education is in patches and elections are a sham. The press seems to be free but journalists being freeloaders lie all the time. The two leading english dailies are Congress supporters and articles are slanted in praise of the party while seeming to be neutral. Civil society is trying to survive in a hostile environment without roads, power, water and having to pay bribes for every service from a parasitic government. Private sector may be innovative but a lot of energy is spent in cheating customers because people have no recourse other than consumer courts which take years to hear a case. Direct to Home television services are cheating every customer of hundreds of rupees every month by the pernicious practice of bundling whereby if you opt for one channel you have no choice but to pay for several others which you do not want to watch. Tens of millions of people have little talent because teachers in government schools do not come to work even though they are highly paid. The ones with talent or high educational achievement go abroad. Hundreds of millions are continuing to breed like rats without any concern about educating their children. Seems to me that Ms. Clinton is as adept at hot air as her boss, the gasbag.