What happens when your last name is Bush?

Having the last name Bush is quite an interesting thing, especially in the past 8 years or so. In the 3 years or so when we lived in Washington, D.C., George W. Bush has just won his first term as the president. Dan and I were asked many times when we were meeting people for the first time if we were related to the president, it is a normal question provided we were living in D.C. and have this last name. However, I find it strange when it was just me and people still ask me if I am related to President Bush, I always said to them, "Do I LOOK like I am related to him?" Maybe next time I should say, "I am his adopted sister from China whom nobody knows of."

Let me tell you a few incidents that we encounter having the last name Bush:

A few months after I became a U.S. citizen, I went to the voting booth to vote for the president of the United States, that was voting for either George Bush or Al Gore . When I presented my driver's license, the lady at the voting center looked at me with disbelief, " Your last name is Bush?" "Yes," I replied. I was grumbbling inside, thinking, "I know I don't look like George Bush, but what's wrong with that?" "You won't believe this," the lady continued while pointing towards a voting booth on the side, "the gentleman in front of you who just went into the voting booth, his last name is Gore."

Two days ago we went to the dentist here in Cebu. When she heard us walked in, she came out to the reception counter and held her hand out to shake our hands. "Mr. Bush, Mrs. Bush, nice to meet you." "That's quite a reception," I thought. Dan said to her, "You came highly recommended." The dentist was beaming, smiling from ear to ear. She then asked, "Are you two related to eh... President Bush." "No, we just have the same last name." She said, "When the receptionist told me you are coming, I thought she was joking. I said to myself could she be someone related to President Bush, you know, it would not be too far-fetched, with the Asian Summits being held here in Cebu and all."

The third incident is the FedEx/Customs asking for sky high tax and tariff incident. I am pretty sure the last name Bush has something to do with it.

We always know this last name will generate curiosity, but never thought it would also make people greedy. What a name!