Two Mission Valley families get the chance to chat with the President

GREAT FALLS—The nation's eyes were on President Bush last Thursday when he stopped in Great Falls, and a few Mission Valley families got to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - a chat with the President.

Bush, on a short tour through the West, hosted an informal question-and-answer session to plug his plan to fix Social Security, and four Montana families were invited on stage to participate in front of an audience of about 6,000.

Charlo parent Kelly Kost was one of them.

Kost said White House officials were looking for a cross-section of folks from different walks of life to participate in the discussion, and as a single mom working to save for retirement, she fit the bill.

"The White House called me to see if I fit the profile. They asked me questions about my work history and retirement plans, things like that. Because the discussion dealt with Social Security, they wanted to have people with a variety of perspectives," Kost said. "They didn't ask me about my political persuasion, though."

Her name was submitted to White House officials through her brother, Kirk Murphy, who heads the local chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. RMEF officials had been asked to submit some names of folks who might be good candidates, and Kost said she felt fortunate to have the opportunity.

"I wasn't so nervous about the crowd as I was being in the presence of the President. The size of the crowd didn't really bother me because they were so focused on the President," she said.

Kost and most of the other families arrived in Great Falls last Wednesday, Feb. 2, and were briefed by White House officials, who explained just how, when and where the President would make his entrance, and discussed the participants' roles, too, she said.

"We went over everything, right down to where he would walk in, and we practiced everything about our bios," Kost said.

Joining her on stage were a retiree from Bozeman and Amy and Mike Borger from Great Falls. Amy's parents, Jack and Carol Sterling, were also in the audience, and Jack, a Ronan native, said meeting the president was an "unbelievable experience."

Bush met with the families before and after the public meeting, and Sterling and Kost — who both have friends and family in the military — said he was very compassionate and gracious.

"Mike's brother had served in Kuwait, and the President spent time with him, wanting to know what time period he had been over there. He was very concerned about the military families that were there," said Sterling, whose parents, Bob and Clara Sterling, live at St. Joseph Assisted Living in Polson.

Bush asked one couple with a son in Iraq to stand and be recognized during the public presentation, and they received a standing ovation, Sterling said. The recognition was important to Kost, too, whose son Jordan is in the Army National Guard and could be deployed after graduation.

Jordan and his twin sister Jade go to Charlo High School, and Kost works at Mission Mountain Les Schwab in Ronan. The President caught Kost a little off guard when he asked about Ronan, she said.

"He asked me the population of Ronan, and I said I had no idea," she recalled with a laugh. "And he said, 'You know how to get back there (from Great Falls), don't you?'"

Kost asked Bush about his idea to privatize parts of Social Security, which would allow workers to set aside some money in private investment vehicles. She expressed concern about being able to fully fund her retirement while raising two teenagers, but the President told Kost and everyone else that his plan was more "user friendly" and would help folks better plan for retirement.

Kost said prior to the public forum, Bush tried to put everyone at ease, telling them to "just be yourselves and have fun."

"He talked to my kids, and thanked Jordan for being in the Army National Guard. We talked about my concerns as a mother (of a soldier), and the possibility that he could be deployed. He was very sincere," Kost said.

She said the best part was that her children were able to meet him. White House public affairs officials took pictures of the Kosts, Sterlings and other families with the President, and will mail the photos to them later this month, she said.

"This is the first President I've met in person, and probably the last one," Kost said.

"I've never gotten halfway close to meeting one," Sterling said. "I saw President Eisenhower at a distance once when he came to Missoula for a dedication, but that was as close as I got."

As for Bush's Social Security plan, Kost said the system needs some work, but that she's optimistic Bush and other elected officials can tackle the problem.

"Our system needs some revamping, but I don't know exactly the best way to accomplish that," she said. "Hopefully, they will figure it out."