Monday, October 10, 2011

Check our failed parties

There is something deeply hypocritical about the way the civil society and the media are giving pass to one of the glaring failures of Pakistani democracy. Three parties in power and several others in opposition have turned Pakistan’s largest city and economic hub into Beirut. Karachi is a strategic port and a rich city. It has been home to Pakistani innovation in business, culture and arts. But today its best and brightest are moving to Dubai, Malaysia and even Bangladesh as the city’s control, indeed the country’s control, passes from the hands of innovative Pakistanis to a bunch of violent, criminal-minded mediocre politicians.

Instead of introducing democracy to the country, our political parties want to control the city’s riches and its multiple revenue streams that run into billions of rupees. They want to use the city to smuggle contraband inside and outside the country. And to do so they are ready to kill Pakistanis by the thousands and pitch them along fake and manufactured linguistic divides. They are ready to bypass the Pakistani state and talk directly to foreign governments.

For the right price, some of them are willing to guarantee safe passage to Nato and US military supplies from Karachi to Afghanistan. Stunningly, we have parties now that demand international intervention when their interests are threatened by other criminal parties.

Like a war zone, neighbourhood streets in Karachi have ugly ‘security gates’ that help political parties control and repel competitors. An ugly culture of identifying people by what Pakistani language they speak has been firmly put in place. If not stopped, these failed parties will poison the entire country at a time when the nation suffers from an acute leadership deficit. What European country has this kind of democracy? If we can’t tailor our own political system, we better be good at aping someone else’s.

The verdict of the Supreme Court over the weekend on the criminal activities of Pakistani political parties, though welcome, is severely constrained and only scratches the surface. While successfully identifying the criminal parties, the verdict fails to diagnose the full extent of the problem.

Karachi does not suffer from any ethnic problems. It is wrong to use the word ‘ethnic’ in the Pakistani context, where the nation is deeply intermixed in all respects. On the night of August 14, our Independence Day, over five thousand of the city’s young and old residents, representing all stripes of Pakistanis, gathered in open air to recite the national anthem and create a world record. Do these Pakistanis look linguistically-divided? Nearly seven decades after independence, Pakistanis are more intermarried and intermixed today than ever before. Many of them speak or understand several different Pakistani languages.

Pakistanis are not divided on language. Failed political parties are dividing them. These parties have nothing to offer so they divide and kill. Our problems – establishing a prosperous country with good governance and basic services – have nothing to do with language or sect, except when these parties play up divisions over real issues. Except that these divisions, and the parties advocating them, will destroy the country faster than any enemy.

This is why Karachi and Pakistan are not beyond hope provided that the Pakistani state moves in swiftly to restrict these parties and ban those that rebel.

Who gave any political party the right to represent all Pakistanis who speak Pashto? Who gave a single political party the right to represent all Pakistanis who speak Urdu (national language spoken by nearly all Pakistanis)? Who says the PPP is supposed to represent Pakistanis who speak Sindhi or the PML-N should be the representative of the Punjabi language?

The Pakistani state must seize back the right to represent all of its citizens. Educated Pakistanis, regardless of their spoken language at home, have been sidelined by failed and violent parties. Those are the people that should be brought forward by the state at the expense of failed parties and politicians.

Political parties are supposed to be the incubators of leadership and produce a steady supply of capable new blood. The Supreme Court verdict has to re-establish this fact. Merely asking these parties to disband their terror wings is not enough. No political party should be allowed to operate if its sole agenda is dividing Pakistanis on language or sect. Only national parties should exist with a clear mission statement. Parties should not be free to block streets and create public disorder.

In March, during the city government’s elections in one of Switzerland’s richest cities, Geneva, parties and candidates were only allowed to establish few neat and clean kiosks manned by a single volunteer. Swiss citizens interested in picking up pamphlets bearing candidates’ pictures and manifestos could do so. Few were interested. You could have mistaken these kiosks for a cell phone ad campaign. No messy street demonstrations. No wild party flags and posters. And no direct contacts between the parties and foreign governments. Local TV channels relegated local political news to the third or fourth slots. Sports, cultural events and news relevant to improving people’s lives took precedence in TV coverage.

In short, banning terror wings is not enough. To stabilise Pakistan, correct the failed political parties first.

Monday, July 25, 2011

IRS Relents on Two-Year Limit on Innocent Spouse Equitable Relief

After winning appeals in three federal circuit courts of its two-year limit for requesting equitable innocent spouse relief, the IRS said on Monday it will no longer observe that deadline.

In Notice 2011-70, the IRS said it will now consider taxpayer requests for equitable relief from joint and several liability under IRC § 6015(f) at any time if the limitation period for collection of taxes under section 6502 remains open for the tax years at issue (generally, 10 years after an assessment). If the taxpayer is seeking a refund as part of the request, the limitation period on credits or refunds under section 6511 governs (generally, three years).

In a number of cases, taxpayers have been denied equitable innocent spouse relief solely because the request was not timely. The Tax Court has declared the two-year limit, imposed by Treas. Reg. § 1.6015(f)-5(b)(1), invalid, but the Seventh, Third and, most recently, the Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeals have overruled the Tax Court and upheld the IRS’ authority to impose the two-year limit (respectively, Lantz v. Commissioner, 607 F.3d 479; Mannella v. Commissioner, 631 F.3d 115; and Jones v. Commissioner, 642 F.3d 459). In April 2011, members of Congress wrote IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman to urge the Service to revise the regulation.

On Monday, the IRS said it will do just that. In the interim, until the regulations are revised and the limit is formally removed, the IRS provided transitional rules for requesting relief or resolving cases currently in litigation.

Requests Pending with the IRS

For requests already submitted (normally, by filing Form 8857, Request for Innocent Spouse Relief) but not yet ruled upon by the Service, taxpayers should not reapply. The IRS will consider the request even if it was submitted more than two years after the first collection activity was undertaken, if it is within the other applicable limitation periods noted.

Requests Denied Solely for Untimeliness

Taxpayers may reapply for equitable relief if their requests were denied solely because they made the request more than two years after the first collection activity and the case has not been litigated. If the request involves a claim for refund or credit, the IRS will use the date of the original request for that purpose.

Requests in Litigation

For cases currently before a court, the government will “take appropriate action consistent with the position” announced in the notice regarding any issues of timely filing of a request under section 6015(f).

Requests for Which Litigation Is Final

If, in a court case that is final, the IRS stipulated that a request for relief under section 6015(f) would have been granted except for the timely submission issue, the IRS will take no further collection activity after July 25, 2011, the effective date of the notice. No refunds or credits are available, however, for previous collections.

Future Requests

Requests for equitable relief under section 6015(f) filed after July 25 will be considered consistent with the other limitation periods noted above but without regard to when collection activity began.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Govt urged to take legislative measures for welfare of IDPs

A conglomerate of human right organisations on Wednesday launched a campaign to press the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for introducing legislation about internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Speaking at a joint press conference at Press Club, Uzma Tahir, policy coordinator of ActionAid Pakistan, Muhammad Idrees Kamal of Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development (CRSD), Qamar Naseem of the Blue Vein and others stressed the need for taking legal measures for the welfare of millions of displaced persons across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

‘The legal draft on IDPs is based on internationally recognised principles such us the UN guidelines of 1998 and international law to determine the legal standing of the IDPs. This includes establishing a legal framework, ensuring the legal protection and providing a legal basis,” said Uzma Tahir. She said the draft law asked for providing special protection to women, children, vulnerable and displaced person with disabilities. It also demands for ensuring safe location of IDPs in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, water, food, shelter and away from areas of armed conflict and danger, she added.

The draft law, she said, ensured freedom of movement, choice of residence; facilitating family reunification and necessary protection for families of mixed ethnic identity. The civil society activist said campaigns were divided into two phases, in the first phase, the draft document will be circulated among bar associations, academia and the civil society while in the second phase parliamentarians from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be approached to get the draft law passed from the provincial assemblies.

Idrees Kamal said over the last decade Pakistan had experienced a large-scale involuntary displacement caused by a range of factors including military operation against militants in Malakand division and tribal areas as well against insurgents and dissidents in Balochistan. He said the mass exodus from these areas was also attributed to generalised violence and violation of human rights. The draft document underlines the key challenges and various areas of concern that need to be addressed through domestic laws and policies, he said.

“It binds the state of Pakistan to prevent arbitrary displacement and to eliminate the root causes of the displacement. Further it requires of the state and the government to ensure the physical and material safety of the IDPs and that it should maintain a national database for the registration of the IDPs,” he remarked.

Qamer Naseem said the draft document adhered to the principles of international humanitarian law and human rights applicable to the protection of IDPs. Faisal Khan and Saira Bano of Shirkat Gah, Zar Ali Khan of Tribal NGOs Consortium, Nazira Sayed of Khawendo Kor, Nizam Dawar of Tribal Development Network, Benish Irfan of Women Concern, Maqsood Sulfi of Peace Foundation, Shagufta Malik of WORD, Shakeela Khan of the Grassroots in Action were also present.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Real Heroes of Pakistan

The Open Society Foundations have been engaged in improving the quality of education in Pakistan for a number of years now—working with researchers and civil society to support advocacy efforts. I personally became involved when I joined a team researching public schools in the country. At the time, almost everyone believed that the public school system in Pakistan had failed, and they were not wrong. Schools were delivering very poor quality education, at a relatively high cost per child and were not even succeeding in either enrolling or keeping enrolled children in school. The solution being proposed then—and still advocated by many today—was large scale privatization. But we did not agree with the solution.

Our research team, with help from the Open Society Foundations, decided to study the issue in more detail. We decided to look at public sector schools that "worked" and to try to understand how some schools, even a minority, in the public sector, were able to succeed. The idea was to understand what worked and why, and to try to see if those lessons could be applied to other poorly functioning schools. The results of that study, titled What Works and Why, are available, but they are not the subject of this post.

We visited a primary school for girls in a small village in Swabi district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. We reached the school unannounced and quite early in the day. Since there were both male and female members in our team, one of the female members went in to announce our arrival (so that any female members of the school who wanted to observe purdah, and be concealed from the male members of our group, could get their wraparounds).

The headmistress, Maryam Bibi (not her real name), came out to greet and welcome us: weather-beaten, thin, but very high energy, she was all smiles and excited to show us around her four-room school. The school was amazingly clean and orderly. Classes were going on in all the four rooms and some of the verandas as well. And the girls, very confident, very engaged, were busy with their studies. We met the teachers, all present and all very positive about what they were doing in the school, and then we had a session with Maryam Bibi.

Maryam Bibi was in her late 50s, a few years from retirement. She had been in that school for a couple of decades, but had been a teacher since her youth. Maryam Bibi was not from the village, her family lived several hours away. Given her salary and the time and cost of travel she did not go home every day. Instead she stayed in the school from Saturday morning to Thursday evening and went home only on the weekend. The community had made a room for her in the school where she slept at night. She got up every day at six in the morning, and before the students and teachers arrived had swept and dusted the school clean and got everything ready.

Maryam Bibi taught and supervised teaching during the school day, and in the afternoon she coached the elder girls from the village and did this until well into the night. She has taught generations of girls from that village. More than one teacher in the school said that their inspiration for becoming a teacher was the headmistress and they wanted to become Maryam Bibi themselves.

I saw some boys sitting in this primary school too. Maryam Bibi explained that since the boy's primary school was not well run, a lot of parents sent their young boys to her school. What made Maryam Bibi tick? "I learnt this from my elders, I want to teach girls, this in the only thing I ever wanted to do, and I will continue to do it as long as I can." Clearly it was not for the money, work conditions, or benefits that she was in this business. It was her passion for teaching that helped produce some of the best students in the area.

We visited two other schools in nearby villages that day. A boys' school, that was not on our list of good schools and it showed that right away. The teacher was more interested in getting boys to work on the vegetable patch outside the school (and it was not for practical training) and having his cup of tea. We also visited another girls' school that looked a lot like Maryam Bibi's school. We were not surprised to find that the headmistress there, much younger than Maryam Bibi, and a couple of other teachers, had been students of Maryam Bibi. When we mentioned that we had been to Maryam Bibi's school, the headmistress immediately said "she is my teacher, and I am a teacher because of her. She is my role model and I want to be like her." Is there a greater tribute for a teacher?

The education department in Peshawar has tried to transfer Maryam Bibi from her school a number of times, as part of a regular practice of transfers every few years. But every time they tried parents and community leaders from the village have gotten the orders reversed. Although most people in the village are very poor, they have been supporting the school and the efforts of Maryam Bibi in every way they can. Despite the rural and fairly low development setting, this school was an inspiration and a revelation.

Swabi, like a lot of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Pakistan, has been hit badly by fight against extremism in this country. In many places there have been bomb explosions and threats against schools too. And the government continues to spend too little on education and does not accord the priority the sector deserves. But not only have brave souls such as Maryam Bibi remained undaunted, they have also become beacons of hope in our society. And the way communities and parents have supported the teachers shows where the priorities of the communities lie too. Maryam Bibi was not alone. During our research we met a number of women just like Maryam Bibi whose dedication, devotion, and untiring efforts had and were shaping generations. Maryam Bibis of Pakistan are the real heroes of this nation.

Monday, March 28, 2011

National advisory forum launched to bridge gender gap

As part of 100th International Women Day celebrations, the Gender Equity Programme (GEP) of Aurat Foundation has launched its National Advisory Forum (NAF) that will provide broad policy guidelines to GEP.

Aurat Foundation has received a $40 million (over Rs3 billion) grant from the USAID-Pakistan for a five-year GEP that aims at advancing women’s human rights and empowerment in Pakistan.

The Gender Equity Programme aims at bridging the gender gap in Pakistan by proactively supporting the development of women.

Aurat Foundation, as primary recipient of this grant, and the Asia Foundation, as its sub-contractor, will work together to award over 400 small, medium and large grants to local civil society organisations, concerned government gender entities, policy think tanks, academic research and training institutions, professional, business and media associations. The volume of grants will range from $20,000 to $200,000 in a grant cycle starting on a quarterly basis every year through competitive applications.

The main role of NAF is to provide broad policy guidelines to GEP, align GEP with government’s gender commitment, including international commitments and provide guideline for on-going cooperative with USAID.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Party GEP Simi Kamal stated that NAF is an important national forum for consultation and brainstorming broader gender equity and equality strategies and it can provide direction to GEP, as well as to the government and other gender entities in the country.

She said that GEP has four objectives, which revolve around core women’s rights issues including enhancing gender equity by expanding women’s access to justice and women’s human rights, increasing women’s empowerment by expanding knowledge of their rights and opportunities to exercise their rights in the workplace, community, and home, combating gender-based violence and strengthening the capacity of Pakistani organisations that advocate for gender equity, women’s empowerment and the elimination of gender-based violence.

The event featured short speeches by provincial ministers of women development in which they highlighted the efforts done by provincial government to empower women.

Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Dr. Nafeesa Shah was the chief guest of the event. Dr. Marilyn Wyatt, wife of US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter, Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Anis Haroon and Advisor to Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Sadai Danish also spoke on the occasion.

A documentary titled ‘Main Safar Main Hoon’ was also screened at the event. The documentary focused on the 100 years journey of women all over the world, particularly highlighting the achievements and sacrifices of Pakistani women starting from 1911 to 2011. The objective of the documentary was to portray a positive image of Pakistani women and highlight their achievements in different fields of life. The documentary carried a very motivating message that women can excel and do everything they just need to be determined, committed and strong.

Provincial Minister Baluchistan Ghazala Gola, Provincial Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sitara Ayaz, Provincial Minister Sindh Tauqeer Fatimah Bhutto, Provincial Minister Punjab Kamran Michael briefed the participants about the steps taken by the provincial governments to empower women. Kamran Michael announced that the Punjab Government will soon establish women complaint cell and the Provincial Commission on the Status of Women.

Nafisa Shah said that there is no lack of role models for women in Pakistan as women have been able to achieve highest positions in every field especially politics but we are far behind in providing them smooth access to basic facilities like education and health. “To work in this direction, it is vital to have effective pubic private partnership,” she said.

Dr. Marilyn Wyatt said that United States has made a long-term commitment to improving the lives of women in Pakistan, and that all US development strategies reflect the importance of women’s core roles raising families, providing health care, running business, providing education, and feeding children.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Learn life insurance basics before it's too late

Many readers will remember that for many years, I have authored an article regarding financial planning and insurance matters. Recently, the decision to start writing again was made, and I thought I would start with basics. Insurance is certainly the foundation of any financial plan, whether formal or informal. Several recent studies have shown that the bulk of middle America is grossly underinsured, so I thought I would start with the basics of life insurance.

Insurance of any kind is based upon the idea of sharing risk. There are only three ways of dealing with the risks we face as we walk through life. We can do whatever we can to avoid the risk (the risk of an airplane accident is avoided if one does not fly). We can assume the risk, or we can share in the risk. This is where life insurance fits. The purchase of life insurance is based upon a recognition that the financial impact of a death cannot be avoided nor assumed, it needs to be shared with an insurance company.

Life insurance is available in two primary varieties, term, and permanent insurance, the latter in many varieties. Historically, many people have fallen prey to believing the decision is either/or, either I buy term or I buy permanent. The prudent decision is to buy term when the need is temporary, such as under 15-20 years. Term is very inexpensive, especially when purchased at younger ages. A young family should buy as much term insurance as reasonable to provide for educational funding, mortgage redemption , and income should something happen to the breadwinners.

How does one determine the amount of life insurance needed ? It's pretty easy -- what would the insured have contributed over time financially to the family or business? For a family, that's a pretty big number. Another test: How would the survivor answer the question of "did he/she have enough life insurance?" There are a number of websites that will help you determine your needs. Once the decision is made to move forward, one should really work with someone who specializes in life insurance.

Permanent insurance is designed to be in place for the rest of one's life. It is a very valuable asset in any portfolio with performance measured by premiums invested versus death benefit provided to the survivors. One of the first questions asked at a funeral is "Did he have life insurance?" I doubt that there has ever been a beneficiary who complained about having death benefits. Permanent coverage is more expensive initially than term, but over the course of the time, the reverse is absolute. In addition, there are cash values which can be used to recover costs or as an emergency fund.

A few other little known benefits of life insurance policies: Cash values accumulate on a tax deferred basis and can be pulled out of the policy on a tax-free basis via a loan against the policy. Very tax efficient. These same cash values can be invested in a variety of ways within the policy, in equity or bond accounts, interest rate driven accounts, or accounts reflecting the performance of an index such as the S&P. Life insurance is a protected asset in most states when it comes to the reach of creditors. Finally, and most importantly, death benefits are received totally income tax free.

The purchase of a life insurance policy should not be seen as any other commodity. The process can be difficult and guidance from an experienced professional is recommended. An independent agent is probably the best. Note that there is no need to use the various shopping services you see on TV or the internet, there is no savings, rates are the same. Underwriting is the issue, it is important to know which carriers are more favorable to an problematic health histories.

Finally, do you need life insurance? Don't ask me, ask those who will survive you. If there is a financial consequence to your passing, you have two choices, A) buy life insurance, or B) let them figure it out later. I think we know which is more expensive and difficult.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Dan Lee fights for Louisiana's last gaming license

He is one of three looking to get his hands on the state's last gaming license. Dan Lee said he plans to make good on a promise he made to Louisiana, but it is clear it will not be without a fight. Back in November, 2009 Lee was forced to resign as CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment.

"Now, someone else is running it, and it tears at you a little bit. It's like seeing your ex-wife, or something. It bothers you," said Dan Lee.

Shortly after Lee's departure Pinnacle decided to take the company in a different direction. They decided to scrap Sugarcane Bay, and give back the license. It was a project very important to Dan Lee.

"After I left Pinnacle, and I saw that they canceled Sugarcane Bay, that hurt," said Lee. "The Gaming commission announced that they were going to reissue the license. They made it very clear they would look for someone to build something of the scope and quality of Sugarcane Bay. I listened."

Lee is now vying for the same license he had once intended for Sugarcane Bay. He now plans to build Mojito Pointe right next door to L'Auberge du Lac. In response to Lee's efforts to build a new hotel and casino in Lake Charles, Pinnacle has filed law suits against him. Pinnacle said he violated his separation agreement, by using inside information, to gain the rights to the land. Pinnacle has also file litigation against the Port of Lake Charles, stating they violated their land lease agreement. Lee believes it is an attempt to stifle competition.

"The growth in Houston allows us to build Mojito Pointe, and not lay a glove on L'Auberge. They will be fine. In fact, we'll be synergistic. We'll be next door," said Dan Lee

William Trotter, with Saint Gabriel Downs, wants to use the fifteenth gaming license to bring a Hard Rock hotel and casino to the Lake Charles lake front. Dan Lee believes it is a plan that will not pay off.

"The people who build casinos to appeal to the younger market, Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, or the Palms, have uniformly failed. Those people don't gamble. They don't have the money. It's very simple," said Lee.

There is possibly some truth to that statement, right now as one lending company for Hard Rock has scheduled, for Tuesday, foreclosure proceedings to auction off the company's assets. William Trotter, with Saint Gabriel Downs, declined to give an interview. His attorney released the following statement.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday with a new era starting for LSU fotball

Good Wednesday morning to all on a day that kind of starts a new era in LSU football.

With Les Miles spurning Michigan for a second time and likely getting a contract extension, that means he is the Tigers’ coach for the long haul. Not bad after some early-season angst among the fans on the heels of the weird ending against Tennessee.

Anyway, check out our full package on Miles’ decision, including the main story and column from Scott Rabalais, a reaction from a couple of players, Sheldon Mickles’ story from Kathy Miles’ perspective and Scott Hotard’s piece on how some of the ballyhooed recruits on the way reacted. Mentioned this last night, but a couple of stories we're hoping to flesh out today as well: Gary Crowton may be headed to Maryland and Stevan Ridley is likely headed to the NFL. Also, tickets are on sale for the Tigers' 2011 season opener against Oregon in Arlington, Texas.

Some opposing views as well, including the story from the Detroit News about Michigan getting its man – Brady Hoke, who also got a thumbs up from Miles. And Detroit Free-Press columnist Michael Rosenberg opines that UM never wanted Les Miles, to which I call … well, you get the point.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

$33 Million in Unclaimed Money for Veterans Dating Back to World War I

Veterans and their families may be eligible to receive unclaimed funds totaling at about $33 million, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans' advocacy groups say many veterans' families have no idea the money is there. 

"A life insurance policy could make a huge difference for the veteran's family, but only if they know who to contact and how to claim it," said Peg Bergeron, executive director of the American Military Retirees Association. 

Unclaimed life-insurance policy payments, dividend checks and refunds -- about $33 million in all -- have accumulated since the beginning of the Veterans Affairs insurance programs in 1917. The unclaimed payments can go up to $4,000 but are typically between $5 and $750, according to Thomas Lastowka, director for insurance for the Department of Veteran Affairs. 

Lastowka said the amount is dependent on the premium that the solider chose to pay in the original policy.
"Up until the 1950s or 60s, the standard large insurance policy was $10,000," said Lastowka. "Back in 1917, the standard policy written was between $1 and $1,500. Historically, $10,000 was a lot of insurance for people to have." 

Lastowka cautioned that many families would not find they are eligible for funds. 

"For the vast majority of people who use it, they don't find any accounts related to them," Lastowka said.
About 25 million people have enrolled in the insurance programs since World War I, according to Lastowka. The bulk of the unclaimed funds date from World War II, when about 22 million people enrolled.
He urged veterans' families to check if they are eligible through the Veterans Affairs website: 

https://insurance.va.gov/liability/ufsearch.htm. Family members should have a veteran's name, date of birth, death and, if possible, the insurance policy number. 

Lastowka said the website, which the department launched seven years ago, is the fastest method to determine if a family member is eligible for a payment. There is also a toll-free phone number (1-800-669-8477). 

Veterans' groups say families are at a disadvantage in trying to receive information about their insurance policy payouts.  

"There's an enormous waiting time of getting things approved. I think there's so much red tape that a number of these veterans have to go through," said Raphael Works, chairman and founder of the Veterans Association of America. "These veterans and their families should be getting the reciprocity they rightfully deserve." 

The $33 million in unclaimed funds is unrelated to the insurance programs for soldiers in active duty, the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance and Veterans Group Life Insurance programs. In 2005, Congress permanently raised the maximum coverage for these insurance programs from $250,000 to $400,000. A group of family members under the organization, Veterans and Military Families for Progress, filed a complaint last year against Prudential Insurance Company for abuses related to the distribution of those programs. 

Matt Cary, executive director of Veterans and Military Families for Progress, said although it is challenging to keep track of veterans' families who have changed addresses, the military is efficient at keeping track of the men and women in active service. 

"The military keeps good records of their own personnel," said Cary, a Vietnam War veteran. "So if anybody in the military has the opportunity to get these life insurance policies, the money comes out of their paycheck to pay the premium on this. It's part of joining." 

Lastowka said extending information about the unclaimed funds is an important effort of the Department of Veteran Affairs. He said the V.A. works with other agencies, including the State Department and National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, to spread the word about the unclaimed funds. 

"There's always outreach to provide retroactive payments to people. Part of what we do at the V.A. is so people are aware of the benefits they're entitled to," Lastowka said. 

Peg Bergeron said states, not just the Department of Veteran Affairs, have a role in helping notify families of unclaimed benefits. State treasurers and other agencies hold some $32.877 billion in unclaimed funds for 117 million accounts, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. 

"Since VA funds are not included on state websites listing unclaimed funds, it might be helpful if those sites contained advice for veterans and surviving family members about how to check for unclaimed VA funds," Bergeron said. 

Bergeron said her organization and other veteran groups try to inform their members of the many issues related to veterans' benefits and funds. She advises veterans and military retirees using the VA consistently to update their contact information with the agency. 

"And they should make certain that their spouses and dependents are aware of what they are entitled to when the veteran passes away," Bergeron said. 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

From top to bottom, 2010 generated weird, embarrassing stories

Feel a chill in the air?

Is that frost on the windowsill?

That means only one thing. Old Man Winter is here, and NV Energy has shut off your power for nonpayment.

In a year of high unemployment, high foreclosure rates and high bankruptcy filings, if it weren't for gallows humor we might have no laughs at all.

The only certainty is that 2011 will be better than 2010. (I can't exactly support that statement with facts, but I prefer to play the optimist at this time of year.)

For my money, nothing warms the cynical heart like a good laugh at others' misfortunes, and that means it's time for my Bottom 10 weirdest and most embarrassing stories of the year. Just a short dozen months ago, U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-No-Tell Motel, edged out the hapless UNLV Rebels football team for most mortifying public display. Ensign's affair with former Senate staffer Cindy Hampton was followed by revelations that his parents had paid $96,000 to Hampton and her husband.

We'll see where Ensign ranks on the 21st annual Bottom 10, but first I have to pull myself over and show you my license and registration.

No. 10: CONGRATULATIONS, MR. SMITH. You're under arrest. Columnist celebrates victory at the Nevada Press Association awards banquet with shiny bracelets after being stopped for DUI. Charge is pending, but humiliation is instantaneous.

No. 9: TILTIN' HILTON. Party princess Paris Hilton "banned" from Wynn Resorts properties by the big man himself after she is stopped and found with a small amount of cocaine in her purse. Her driver was booked for DUI -- don't blame me, I was home that night -- but Hilton initially denies the handbag is hers.

What's more embarrassing, Hilton's tall tale or Wynn's decision to banish her for doing precisely what she's well paid to do: party like an air-guitar rock star?

No. 8: SHEFF WHIFFS. Chris Sheff looks like a sure winner when he is hired to guide the College of Southern Nevada program, but his coaching career is cut short when it's discovered he has committed rule violations before the team's first practice.

No. 7: BAIL 'MONEY.' Las Vegas boxing champ Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. continues to prove the only one capable of knocking him out is the man in the mirror. Mayweather's run-ins with the law escalate, and 2011 threatens to find him spending big money to remain out of jail.

No. 6: CHICKEN DANCE. Sue Lowden looks like a sure thing as the Republican U.S. Senate nominee against incumbent Harry Reid. Then she tells an audience that what American health care reform really needs is good old-fashioned bartering, including trading chickens for medical care.

By the time Reid's attack team finishes deep-frying Lowden, her campaign is as scorched as a bucket of KFC extra crispy.

No. 5: HORREBEL FOOTBALL. New UNLV coach Bobby Hauck leads the Rebels to one of its worst records in a history of really bad seasons. Does UNLV really need a football program this much?

No. 4: SIEGFRIED & JOHN. Ensign magically escapes criminal prosecution and Senate sanction for the Hampton affair and cover-up. Now Ensign plans to run for re-election.

No. 3: ANGLE'S 'ASIANS.' Sharron Angle prevails in the Republican Senate primary, then runs one of the worst campaigns on record. Along the way, she says members of a group of Hispanic high school students look "Asian" to her.

No. 2: BEWARE THE DEATH RAY! As if CityCenter didn't have enough trouble opening in a recession, a lawsuit alleges the reflection from its shimmering windows creates a beam hot enough to sizzle hairdos at poolside.

No. 1: MEDAL OF DISHONOR. David Perelman gets caught lying about winning a Purple Heart in a scheme to gain $180,000 in veterans benefits.

Meanwhile, local veterans volunteer to give Perelman fresh wounds to brag about.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.