Tariff Impact on Our Hobby

[Curt B]

2 hours ago, WymanV said:

One of my hobbies is working on an old car I've had for decades. Bought a radiator for it Sunday-made in China, $118. Monday it was $160.

 

 

Interesting.  I wonder if that is a result of the tariffs or some other factor.  

 

Regardless, I just today got my GWH A-10C Blacksnake kit which I bought from an EBay seller from China (I hadn't seen this particular kit available here in the US), and I'm glad it's in my hot little hands.

[phantom]

A serious Chinese tariff question I wonder about. As of this moment ( I think) Canada does not have as high tariffs with China as the US does. It "might" cost a little less to order from China stuff into Canada. But of course our ridiculous postage  rates would erase any savings shipping to someone in the US.

[habu2]

I believe the rates were 10% on China, 25% on Canada. Makes no sense to me, correct me if I misquoted rates. 

 

edit: sorry I misread your post. I blame the imported Mexican beer I'm drinking - while I can still afford it....  🍺🍺🍺

Edited February 5, 2025 by habu2

[Dave Williams]

Well, well, well.  Hope no one else had anything coming from Lucky Model, Chinese sellers on eBay, Allyexpres, etc

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/usps-temporarily-suspends-accepting-packages-020834943.html

 

 

[phantom]

That will most definitely effect the hobby.

[habu2]

Well crappo crappo (to quote Jimi Hendrix) I just placed an order with Luckymodel last week. 

 

On a tangentially related note, I placed an order with Megahobby, took two weeks to get here, it bounced around DFW for a week before it was delivered. Blame USPS, not Megahobby. 

 

For comparison, my order with Plaza Japan arrived in two days via UPS. 

[andyf117]

5 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Well, well, well.  Hope no one else had anything coming from Lucky Model, Chinese sellers on eBay, Allyexpres, etc

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/usps-temporarily-suspends-accepting-packages-020834943.html

Possibly as I 'predicted' yesterday - USPS putting a 'hold' on everything until there's a policy/mechanism in place to collect tariffs?

13 hours ago, andyf117 said:

If I were to buy direct online, then HMRC would apply the charge once the item arrives at the International Mail Centre - Royal Mail would notify me and collect prior to making delivery...

....again, the IRS and USPS may have to come up with a similar arrangement.

The worst part of the system here is that not only does Royal Mail collect the VAT due to HMRC, but also apply an exorbitant "handling fee" for doing so...

Edited February 5, 2025 by andyf117

[Tank]

7 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Well, well, well.  Hope no one else had anything coming from Lucky Model, Chinese sellers on eBay, Allyexpres, etc

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/usps-temporarily-suspends-accepting-packages-020834943.html

 

 

Lucky Model has multiple warehouses around the world. They have some product in the US, so some items can be still ordered. Jest saying. 
https://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?department=MAIN &catalog_no=USD

[Tank]

7 hours ago, phantom said:

That will most definitely effect the hobby.

Direct sales yes but Chinese models ordered from other countries say like BNA, Hannants etc don’t appear to be impacted. 

[Scott Smith]

[STEN8]

Very Good, Scott!

[habu2]

USPS reversed position on accepting shipments from China. 

 

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

 

These tariff announcements, delays and reversals must be causing chaos with any company or organization involved with international trade. 

 

edit: added link, looks like Andy was right. 

Edited February 5, 2025 by habu2

[YF65_CH53E]

Good to see the USPS reversal.

 

As far as buying a radiator on Sunday for $118 and then on Monday it is $160?  I question that as far as price gouging by the business you are buying it from?  How could they levy a tariff on the item after it is already in their stock?  I guess I need to look more into international goods and services law, but I would think that all they are doing is adding the so called "new" tariff to the bottom line of their price and collecting more profit?  Like I said I am not an international business man, I may not understand.  I do know that we in the US suffer from gasoline speculation at the pump every day.  They put a 100 gallons in the ground at $2.00 a gallon one week, they have only sold 50 gallons, the next week speculation drove the price to $3.00 a gallon so they sell the next 50 gallons with that $1.00 profit and nobody cares.  

 

Now don't jump on your keyboards and tell me about Capitalism, I get it, profits, investment etc.  All I am saying is price gouging is price gouging.  I won't even go into something I do know about and that is the price of building materials here in the PNW, especially lumber, during and AFTER COVID.  I made the mistake of a major remodel of my home from 2019 - 2023!!  Supply has certainly caught up with demand, but gee,  the prices per sheet, per ft. have not come down at all. 

 

Ok, I am going to go look at my stash now like Scott did......maybe all that plastic has gone up a couple of pennies for my kids to deal with after I am gone!!  LOL

[habu2]

They will still be implementing tariffs, fees etc.  And nothing happens for "free". The shipping companies are adding processing fees to cover their costs related to paperwork, collections, etc.  I read this relevant post on another forum:

 

[Quote]Personally got hit with this yesterday as I regularly order hobbyist merchandise from a Japanese company, and of course most of its products are made in China so that's what they list as "country of origin" on the waybill, so I had to pony up extra money to DHL for the first time ever, most of which was the fee for "duty tax processing" (the tariff itself was only a few bucks). From what I hear the company I order from is in the process of trying to set up a US-based operation for things like this but it takes time, so I only expect the extra fees to continue for the time being, or until they start charging the fees up-front so I don't have to pay the DHL piper. [/Quote]

 

Adding: the DHL Duty Tax Processing fee was $22 - on top of the tariff and shipping costs. 

[andyf117]

4 hours ago, habu2 said:

edit: added link, looks like Andy was right. 

Apart from my putting "IRS" rather than CBP - here, HMRC collects everything, both internal and external, rather than there being two agencies...

 

1 hour ago, habu2 said:

They will still be implementing tariffs, fees etc.  And nothing happens for "free". The shipping companies are adding processing fees to cover their costs related to paperwork, collections, etc.  I read this relevant post on another forum:

 

[Quote]Personally got hit with this yesterday as I regularly order hobbyist merchandise from a Japanese company, and of course most of its products are made in China so that's what they list as "country of origin" on the waybill, so I had to pony up extra money to DHL for the first time ever, most of which was the fee for "duty tax processing" (the tariff itself was only a few bucks). From what I hear the company I order from is in the process of trying to set up a US-based operation for things like this but it takes time, so I only expect the extra fees to continue for the time being, or until they start charging the fees up-front so I don't have to pay the DHL piper. [/Quote]

 

Adding: the DHL Duty Tax Processing fee was $22 - on top of the tariff and shipping costs. 

Same situation here, if goods are imported by freight/courier services rather than mail, complete with higher fees than RM

 

 

PS: Of interest, that USPS page has a 'related link' about sending mail to Ireland - detailing identical EU VAT policy as for the UK

Edited February 5, 2025 by andyf117

[WymanV]

17 hours ago, YF65_CH53E said:

 

 

As far as buying a radiator on Sunday for $118 and then on Monday it is $160?  I question that as far as price gouging by the business you are buying it from?  How could they levy a tariff on the item after it is already in their stock? 

 

 I doubt it's gouging. Seems more like playing it safe in unknown and chaotic waters. Since the item was available here and manufactured in China I would think the safer bet is they don't know the extent of the problems created yet and restocking would likely result in paying more for it than the item I bought from their stock (see: USPS short lived suspension).

 

 It wasn't really my intent to pick up the radiator right now as there are other things that need to be finished up on the car but with all the fist shaking going on I figured I better get any "big ticket" import items left to buy for the car. Aftermarket parts for this project look to get real expensive real quick (like they already weren't), I still have bills to pay and a life to live, and I foresee little likelihood that will get any more affordable any time soon.

[Scott Smith]

On 2/6/2025 at 7:56 AM, WymanV said:

 

 I doubt it's gouging. Seems more like playing it safe in unknown and chaotic waters. Since the item was available here and manufactured in China I would think the safer bet is they don't know the extent of the problems created yet and restocking would likely result in paying more for it than the item I bought from their stock (see: USPS short lived suspension).

 

 It wasn't really my intent to pick up the radiator right now as there are other things that need to be finished up on the car but with all the fist shaking going on I figured I better get any "big ticket" import items left to buy for the car. Aftermarket parts for this project look to get real expensive real quick (like they already weren't), I still have bills to pay and a life to live, and I foresee little likelihood that will get any more affordable any time soon.

Retail usually works like that.  Prices based on future restocks, not what their wholesale price was at the time.  Three or four weeks ago I dropped almost $500 on a complete AC system rebuild for my 1990 F-250. Everything. Evap, condenser, compressor, hoses, dryer, hardware, etc.  It all came from Rock Auto.  I should go look up everything I bought and see current pricing.  

edit:  Just took a look. Some things dropped a few bucks, some went up a dollar or two.  Would have still averaged out about the same. 

Edited February 9, 2025 by Scott Smith

[Da SWO]

I didn't realize until recently that companies in Japan had their stuff made in China.

 

Would country of origin change If parts are made in China, but the box is assembled in Japan?

[John Tapsell]

2 hours ago, Da SWO said:

I didn't realize until recently that companies in Japan had their stuff made in China.

 

Would country of origin change If parts are made in China, but the box is assembled in Japan?

It would depend on how obsessive the tariff imposer wanted to be. The finished product is usually the item being taxed. In our case, the sprues in a box would usually be considered 'components' and the 'product' is not 'complete' until all the components and been placed in the box.

It would be quite normal for every different part of a product to come from outside the country of origin and all the company did was put it l together and ship it out. (using the plastic kit analogy  the sprues, decals, instructions and even the box might each be produced in different countries but be brought together as a product in yet another country).

The logistics of asking a customs team to determine where individual components originated in every product from every country that comes through their hands, and tax that proprtionately, would be enormous and probably impractical. They'll go with what it says on the box.

[phantom]

Good thing models are not cars and trucks. By the time a car crosses the border in Canada to the US on average 8 times, as the various parts are assembled on either side of the border.........Hate to figure the tariffs on that one out. 

[Dutch]

17 hours ago, John Tapsell said:

It would depend on how obsessive the tariff imposer wanted to be. The finished product is usually the item being taxed. In our case, the sprues in a box would usually be considered 'components' and the 'product' is not 'complete' until all the components and been placed in the box.

It would be quite normal for every different part of a product to come from outside the country of origin and all the company did was put it l together and ship it out. (using the plastic kit analogy  the sprues, decals, instructions and even the box might each be produced in different countries but be brought together as a product in yet another country).

The logistics of asking a customs team to determine where individual components originated in every product from every country that comes through their hands, and tax that proprtionately, would be enormous and probably impractical. They'll go with what it says on the box.

That's how Al Trendle got started with Minicraft Models, Inc (MMI).  He would import Hasegawa parts sealed in bags, then redo the instruction sheet with his MMI logo, get the decals printed by Scale-Master and box the whole thing up in top opening boxes, instead of the Hasegawa end-openers.  Though, i don't think there were any tariffs around back then.  Just good business sense.  When he built up enough cash, he had his own molds cut in Korea. But that's another story.

 

So, maybe they don't charge the tariff until we "complete" our models?  I can see a whole slough of models being built, but lacking one minor stencil deal and thus 99.99% complete, just so Trump doesn't collect the tariff.

 

Anyway, it's not the tariff that bothers me so much as the zany USPS postal routing. I ordered several kits off evilbay from Canada, before 20 Jan.  The vendor shipped them 28 Jan, got to LAX Customs on 30 Jan, out of Customs on 1 Feb, then in transit (ground I assume) to Gastonia, NC arriving 6 Feb, down to Charlotte, NC on 7 Feb, back to Gastonia, NC on 9 Feb.  I am in Florida, why the double stop in NC is beyond me.  I would like the DOGE to investigate the USPS routing practices before he closes up shop next year.
 

Edited February 11, 2025 by Dutch

[phantom]

Yes, the mail seems rather slow. I sold a BUNCH of decals like 3 weeks ago, and only now are the sheets showing up. I have no proof but they seemed to leave Canada pretty quick and all got held up in US customs for a while. Once they were in the states I couldn't track anymore.

[Scott Smith]

That model I mentioned coming from Poland earlier in this thread?  It’s been sitting in US Customs in Chicago since Feb. 13th.  I know it’s Chicago, so who’s palm do I need to grease so it can get some movement? 

[Scooby]

Won’t affect me in Canada, I rarely order from the US, USPS shipping is far too expensive, it is cheaper for me to order from Hannants or Europe. And given most products don’t originate from the US, no tarrifs for me.

[Scooby]

I know most Americans do not know the extent that Trump is threatening our sovereignty in Canada, this outline is from a friends Facebook page that he updates daily:

 

“One thing I've learned over the past few weeks, and it's been a bit of a sobering lesson, is that a lot of Americans I know don't actually know what's going on between the US and Canada right now, and just how seriously Canadians are taking this. So, against my better judgement, here's a timeline to explain why we're here, and why we're angry.

Nov 30th, 2018 - The United States, Canada and Mexico finalize a trade agreement. Trump personally negotiates the terms and signs the document, celebrating it as 'the greatest trade agreement in history". (This is important.)

Nov 29th, 2024 - In a face to face meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump threatens the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, that he will be imposing 25% tariffs and that if Canada wants to avoid that, it should join the US as a state.

Nov 30th, 2024 - Trump publicly calls our Prime Minister 'Governor Trudeau' and instructs his staff to only address him as Governor going forward. He again suggests Canada should join the USA.

Dec 3rd, 2024 - Trump remarks that he would split Canada into two states once annexed.

Dec 10th, 2024 - Trump posts that the majority of Canadians support annexation, despite public polling that only 13% of Canadians would consider the idea.

Dec 18th, 2024 - Trump again falsely states that the majority of Canadians support annexation and that one of his lapdogs, Wayne Gretzky, should have a leadership role in that new scenario.

Jan 7th, 2025 - At a press conference, Trump says that he would use economic force to destroy the Canadian economy to annex it.

Jan 14, 2025 - Trump again claims that most Canadians want to be American, despite new polls showing only 10% of us are open to the idea.

Jan 20th, 2025 - During his inaugural address, Trump says that the U.S. will 'expand its territory' during his second term.

Jan 23rd, 2025 - At the World Economic Forum, Trump says that Canada can avoid tariffs and economic collapse if it joins the US. He says this in front of representatives from most countries in the world.

Jan 24th, 2025 - During a press conference in North Carolina, President Trump reiterated his position, stating that Canada "will" become a U.S. state. He claims that under American governance, Canadians would benefit from "lower taxes" and "better health care."

Jan 31st, 2025 - Trump announces a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports to 

begin the next day.

Feb 2nd, 2025 - Trump refers to Canada as its 'Cherished 51st state' and that it should join the US to avoid tariffs.

Feb 3rd, 2025 - A one month delay is agreed upon. Trump, in a conversation with Trudeau states that he doesn't think existing border treaties with Canada are valid, and need to be revised.

Feb 7th, 2025 - In a closed door meeting with his cabinet, Prime Minister Trudeau is recorded, without his knowledge, telling everyone that he believes very strongly that Trump is serious and that he stated his reason for annexation as Canadian resources.

Feb 9th, 2025 - In a Super Bowl pre-game interview, Trump says that he's serious about his threats, calling it a 'viable consideration for expanding US territory'

Feb 10th, 2025 - Trump announces an additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to come into effect March 12th.

Feb 24th, 2025 - Trump publicly remarks that whoever signed the USMCA agreement is an idiot. He was the one that signed it.

March 4th, 5th, and 6th 2025 - Tariffs come into effect. Canada retaliates with it's own tariffs. Tariffs are again postponed until April 1st after a huge market backlash.

March 4th, 2025 - In an address to a joint session of congress, Trump states that the US will own Greenland 'one way or the other'.

March 5th, 2025 - US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told Canadian finance minister Dominic LeBlanc that Trump "had come to realize that the relationship between the United States and Canada was governed by a slew of agreements and treaties that were easy to abandon."

March 7th, 2025 - Unconfirmed Memorandum and maps leaked on twitter reveal Trump is allegedly planning to annex the entirety of the great lakes and Southern Ontario, home to 13,491,332 Canadians. This amounts to 35.25% of Canada's total population and includes its largest city, Toronto. This region accounts for 38% of the Canadian economy, and its loss would make Canada's independence functionally impossible. *THIS IS STILL NOT OFFICIALLY VERIFIED*

March 7th, 2025 PT II - Trump claims to reporters that he had Canada’s dairy-tariff situation “well taken care of” at the time he left office the first time, “but under Biden, they just kept raising it.” In fact, Canada did not raise its dairy tariffs during the Biden administration.

March 7th, 2025 PT III - Peter Navarro, a senior trade adviser to Trump, says that Canada has been “taken over” by Mexican cartels. As a result, Canadians across the country laugh until they pass out.

March 8th, 2025 - Canada's foreign minister warns European allies that their government considers Canada to be under existential threat. She emphasized that Canada's current challenges could foreshadow similar threats to other nations, stating, "We are the canary in the coal mine. If the U.S. administration is doing that to Canada, you're next."

March 9th, 2025 - Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister, in his acceptance speech, states that Trump is seeking to destroy Canada, and its way of life.

March 11, 2025 - President Trump threatens to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if Canada does not drop a 250% to 390% tariff on U.S. dairy products, which he doesn’t state only kicks in after a certain quantity of tariff-free U.S. dairy enters Canada, a quantity that was originally negotiated and agreed to by Trump during the USMCA in 2018.

In Trump's own words, "The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear. Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — And Canada will be a big part of that. The artificial line of separation drawn many years ago will finally disappear, and we will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the World — And your brilliant anthem, “O Canada,” will continue to play, but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!"

March 11th, 2025 PT. II - Peter Navarro, a Senior Advisor for Trump is interviewed by MSNBC. When asked about the tariffs he responds with "Just tamp it down, please, over there, ok? They're throwing down the hockey gloves. Stop that rhetoric...we're not going to tolerate anything but them stopping killing Americans", insinuating that this situation was caused by Canadians killing Americans. It's assumed he's referencing fentanyl, but he doesn't specify the reason.

March 11th, 2025 PT III - Trump again publicly muses that Canada, Greenland, and the US should be one country, and questions the validity of the Canadian and American border.

March 11th, 2025 PT IV - Canada sells $3.5 Billion dollars of its US Bonds

March 11th, 2025 PT V - Trump claims in a social media post that Canada is “One of the highest tariffing countries in the world.” He also claims the trade deficit between the two nations is '$200 Billion dollars".

Official US statistics show the 2024 deficit with Canada in goods and services trade was $35.7 billion

Despite Trump's claims about Canadian tariffs, Canada is the 102nd-highest nation on a World Bank list of 137 countries’ trade-weighted average tariff rates in 2022 – and had a lower average (1.37%) than the United States (1.49%) that year, the most recent for which the data is available. This means the US tariffs more than Canada, with Canada being one of the most tariff free countries in the world.

March 12th, 2025 - Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc announces tariffs on $29.8B worth of U.S. goods. This includes tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, computers, tools, sporting equipment and cast iron products.

March 12th, 2025 Pt. II - Mark Carney, Canada's incoming prime minister, expresses willingness to meet with Trump to renew economic and security partnerships between the two countries despite the challenges posed by the recent tariffs.

March 12th, 2025 Pt III - Widespread boycotts of American products across Canada and international markets begin making serious impacts on US economy

March 13th, 2025 - Trump claims that “they (Canada) don’t take our agricultural product for the most part”; he mentioned dairy, then said, “A little bit they do, but not much.” This is false even with Trump’s qualifiers. Canada was the world’s second-largest buyer of US agricultural exports in 2024, according to the US Department of Agriculture, purchasing about $28.4 billion worth.

March 13th, 2025 PT II - New polling shows 46% of Canadians are in favor of joining the EU, something that would have been pure fantasy just a few months ago.

March 13th, 2025 PT III - The Group of Seven (G7) ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the EU, meet in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada for two days of meetings.

March 13th, 2025 PT IV - Alaskan state-level politicians introduce resolutions to oppose Donald Trump’s “restrictive trade measures that would harm the unique Canada-U.S. relationship”

March 13th, PT V - A Canadian woman is arrested by ICE and has been held at the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona since March 3rd with 30 other individuals. Her mother, in an interview: "They are housed together in a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that are never turned off, no mats, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities."

March 13th, 2025 PT VI - Trump says that he would 'allow Canada to keep their national anthem' -- as a US state.

"As a state, it would be one of the great states. This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at the map, they do an artificial line right through it between Canada and the US. A straight artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago. And it makes no sense. It's so perfect as a great and cherished state".

March 13th, 2025 PT VII - Trump's choice for United States ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, says that "Canada is a sovereign state" when asked about Trump's repeated threats to annex Canada and make it a U.S. state.

March 13th, 2025 PT VIII - 'I think it'll happen,' the president said of annexing the island During his Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, when asked if the US will annex Greenland replied "I think it'll happen. We really need it for national security. I think that is why NATO might have to get involved anyway'. Trump then noted the U.S. already has a military base on Greenland.

'We have a couple of bases on Greenland already and we have quite a few soldiers. Maybe you will see more and more soldiers go there,' he threatened. 'We have bases and we have quite a few soldiers on Greenland.'

March 14th, 2025 - The stock market and economic data shows the following losses since January 2025:

1. S&P 500, Loss of 6.2% totaling $3.1 trillion

2. Nasdaq Composite, Loss of 10.6% totaling $2.65 trillion

3. Dow Jones Industrial Average, Loss of 4.1% totaling $450 billion

Estimated Total Loss Across All Three: $6.2 trillion USD

March 14th, 2025 PT II - Justin Trudeau officially steps down as Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party.

March 14th, 2025 PT III - Speaking at the G7, German foreign minister states : "To our Canadian friends: your country stands together. Canada's unity inspires us. We Europeans, we Germans, and Canada are not only partners; we are close friends. And friends have each other's back — always."

March 14th, 2025 PT IV - Mark Carney is sworn is as the new Prime Minister of Canada. In his first speech he declares "We will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States." He also expressed readiness to work with U.S. President Donald Trump despite ongoing trade tensions. Carney says he will visit France and the UK on his first overseas trip, adding that he currently has "no plans" to meet Trump but "looks forward" to speaking to him.

March 14th, 2025 PT V - When questioned about Trump's comments, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump’s “argument about why Canada would be better off economically being a state, and I think that stands for itself.” He says this while standing on Canadian soil.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To my American friends, I know most of you are amazing and generous people. You didn't ask for this, and I understand that. I hold no ill will towards you, whatsoever. But I must stress, with as much seriousness as I can, the amount of damage this has done.

We have viewed you as our closest friend and ally for a century. We thought of you as brothers and sisters. We answered the call, again and again, for any support you needed from us. Most of Canadians visit the USA so much that we've seen more of the US than we have the rest of Canada.

American products have been taken off our shelves. Canadians are cancelling travel plans to the US. Photo after photo has been shared on social media of empty flights from Canada to the USA.

This isn't a joke to us. We're not overreacting. We don't think he's just saying this shoot to cause chaos or negotiate a deal. We wholeheartedly believe that our closest ally and friend is about to bring violence across our border, economically destroy us, and eliminate our way of life.

The main driver for Canada's creation in 1867 was SPECIFICALLY to not be part of America, and to end America's very public threats and plans to annex our territory.

We're angry. We're really, really fracking angry. Open your eyes to what's happening because we're tired of trying to make you understand why and asking you why it seems like none of you care.

I still hope that there is time to repair this. I still believe that this is the result of one man's plan to burn it all down. But time is running out, and fast.

 

**Note**

The hundreds of positive comments and messages I've received from Americans today have restored my faith in you, and humanity. You do care, and I was wrong in assuming you didn't.