How We Lost Our New [Big Island] Home To Trump's Illegal Tariffs

[ironyak]

I, as a common sense centrist and independent voter, I would like to vouch for Durian Fiend's realtive objectivity and healthy skepticism for the commentary piece which leaned heavily toward interpretive storytelling.  Peeking through The Looking Glass, at least in Durian Fiend's case, the Jabberwocky moniker seems unfair. 


and stupid tariffs as a tax on American consumers.  Which, of course, is true. - Durian Fiend


That's a good thing though right?





Hehe - just some good hearted fun.  I have greatly appreciated Durian's quest for truth in this thread.  

Enjoy your Sunday all.

PS:  I can also vouch that Moderator 2 did berate me with that green stuff and it was kinda like they are representing it.

The OP article is dated Feb 26, 2026 and begins as so...
"Months before the last presidential election, my wife and I bought a house."

This indicates that the story teller (I use that word, story, in the sense of a very tall tale), allegedly bought the house sometime in 2024, before the presidential election. 

In 2024, the applied duty on prefabricated homes had been in place since 2019. It hasn't changed to this day according to online government records. So, at no time were Trumps IEEPA tariffs applied to prefabricated homes for the purposes of this OP "publication" storyline. The story teller indicates a shipping container home thus pointing towards a steel container and therefore subject to the 2.9% base and 25% added duty for 27.9%. So, effectively we can cite it as 30%, so, I've no objection to that claim of 30% duty, rounded up and close enough. 

My point is in the fact that the story teller attempts to portray or ellude that Trump slapped surprise tariff on their prefabbed home while in transit. No such thing occurred. The established duties existed years before the thier purchase and haven't changed since 2019. 

Civilbeat should have checked out the varacity of the claims before publishing the story and they failed to do so. 
The story teller did not lose a new home due to sudden tariffs applied by Trump. If they lost the home due to Duty rates, they lost it due to thier own ignorance in failing to check the duty rates before entering into the purchase agreement. And the story should be titled, Buyer Beware, Check all Duty Rates Before Buying Overseas. 

It's really that simple.

Saving for posterity's sake

Hey Rob - do I still have to "assume the best and ask questions" of those that have chosen on Punaweb to be deaf, dumb (in the literal stupid-is-as-stupid-does sense), and blind?