Category Archives: The Everyman Chronicles

ID. Buzz Kill


Volkswagen’s new electric van, the ID. Buzz, was supposed to be a love letter to America’s freewheeling spirit; instead, it’s a Dear John note from the future.

Bilopillya VW thought nostalgia would drive sales — that Americans would sprint to the showroom to reclaim a piece of the ‘60s, this time on battery power. They slapped a $60,000-plus price tag on it, slapped a few surfboards in the ads, and expected buyers to slap down deposits.

But the ID. Buzz missed its moment, misread its audience, and underestimated the hard math of the American driveway.

The Buzz promised sunny California vibes but delivered European practicality dressed up in pastel marketing. In a country that loves big trucks and seven-seat SUVs, this was a lightweight with a short reach. The range — just 230 or so miles — looked more like a commuter car’s resume than a road trip warrior’s.

And in a land where “bigger is better” is stitched into our national psyche, the ID. Buzz simply looked like a toy.

Then came the price. VW asked for Tesla money without Tesla specs or status. Americans looked at the $70K window sticker, remembered there were no tax credits (thanks to German assembly), and politely declined.

The Buzz ended up in a weird no-man’s-land: too expensive for the hippie van crowd, too small and underpowered for suburban families, too slow to make an impact in the flash-flood EV market.

Early adopters who love to brag about range, tax rebates, and resale value found better choices in Kia’s EV9, Rivian’s R1S, or even the old-guard Model Y. Meanwhile, anyone seduced by nostalgia could grab a restored gas microbus for half the money and twice the smiles.

Add to that VW’s signature rollout stumbles:

• Recalls for missing seat belts.

• Brake warning lights that didn’t meet U.S. standards.

• Delayed shipments and dealer markups north of $20,000.

• A final sticker shock after import tariffs kicked in.

When the Buzz finally arrived, the moment had already passed. Volkswagen’s electric microbus barely made a ripple in U.S. sales waters: just 564 units delivered in Q2 2025—after only around 1,900 sold in its first full quarter on sale—and fewer than 3,000 shipped to dealers by late March, despite being marketed as a “halo” product meant to draw crowds.

The U.S. EV market had moved from curiosity to cold calculation: price per mile, battery warranty, resale depreciation. VW arrived dressed for Woodstock, but the crowd was at a finance seminar.

The Buzz is not necessarily a bad car; it’s just a bad bet on who we are. Americans love to talk about flower power and road trips, but they buy F-150s and three-row SUVs. VW should have known.

Maybe there’s still a second act — a longer-range version, local production, smarter pricing. But for now, the ID. Buzz looks like the kind of experiment that ends up on the museum floor next to the New Coke can and the Segway.

The only buzz left is the fly circling around the showroom.

Welcome Back, Measles


We are living in the United States of Alternative Facts, and the return of measles is its latest holy sacrament.

They declared it dead in 2000 — eliminated, finished, a medical triumph. But in 2025, hospitals fill, kids fight for air, families hold funerals. Before the vaccine, measles infected 3–4 million Americans each year, hospitalized 48,000, and killed 400–500.

Then science nearly erased it. But there seems to be no stopping our faith in ignorance.

Now, the CDC reports 1,288 confirmed cases across 39 states, with 162 hospitalizations and three deaths — the first measles fatalities in a decade. Numbers remind us that science succeeds when embraced and communities protect each other through shared effort.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the worm-brained Secretary of Health and Human Services, builds a pulpit on vaccine fear, preaching to followers eager to see science as conspiracy and shots as threats. Donald Trump fuels the chorus, praising “freedom” as the right to spread disease to neighbors, classrooms, and newborns. They offer a message that glorifies self-interest and frames public health as an enemy rather than a shared shield.

This surge shows a country that celebrates delusion and rewards ignorance. Americans trade evidence for gut feelings, data for rumor, and doctors for self-anointed prophets. In few nations does a health official rise to power after calling vaccines poison.

America crowns that rejection of science with authority, sending a clear signal that belief matters more than proof and that echo chambers matter more than expert consensus.

Measles rises because Americans choose fantasy over collective responsibility. Many embrace the idea that they stand apart from biology and above consequence. They wear personal conviction as armor, convinced that courage means resisting proven tools instead of using them to save lives.

Vaccines deliver modern miracles — our best armor against preventable death. Choosing them strengthens communities and shows shared courage. A vaccinated society stands together, embodying strength in numbers and protecting those too young or vulnerable to defend themselves.

Measles spreads because Americans welcomed it, convinced they outwitted scientists and every grave in every children’s cemetery.

America embraces delusion, celebrates martyrdom to ignorance.

We mark that faith in tombstones.