Why some people keep making the same bad decisions

For some people, everyday cues keep pulling the brain toward the same bad decisions.

Society for Neuroscience

People constantly take in information from their surroundings, including visual details and background sounds. Over time, the brain learns to connect these cues with what usually happens next. 

For example, a familiar sign, sound, or setting can signal whether a choice is likely to lead to a reward or a negative outcome. This process is known as associative learning, which simply means learning through repeated connections between cues and results. 

In everyday life, this kind of learning helps people make faster and often better decisions.

However, this system does not work the same way for everyone. For people with compulsive disorders, addictions, or anxiety, these learned associations can become overly powerful. Instead of serving as helpful guides, cues may start to dominate decision making. Individuals may feel pulled toward certain sights or sounds or strongly driven to avoid them, even when doing so leads to poor outcomes.

Study of 30,000 Shoppers Reveals Hidden Environmental Cost of Treat Foods

Junk food is bad for you AND the environment

By University of Helsinki

A significant portion of the environmental footprint linked to food purchases in Finland comes from discretionary items that are often low in nutritional value. At the same time, households appear to allocate similar amounts of money to their main protein sources relative to the total energy content of their purchases, even when those protein sources differ widely.

According to a recent study, nearly 20 percent of all food spending in Finland goes toward discretionary products. This group includes candy, sweet pastries, desserts, savory snacks, sugar and other sweeteners, soft drinks, both sweetened and unsweetened, juices, alcoholic beverages, cocoa, coffee, and tea.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki, Tampere University, and the Natural Resources Institute Finland analyzed grocery purchases from almost 30,000 members of the Finnish S Group retail cooperative who agreed to take part. The team compared households based on their preferred protein sources, such as red meat, poultry, fish, or plant-based proteins, to assess differences in spending patterns, nutritional quality, and environmental effects.

War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

Trump continues to torpedo the economy now with an unnecessary war

Michael Klein, Tufts University

The “fog of war” refers to confusion and uncertainty on the battlefield and the attendant possibility of fatal error. 

This principle has a parallel when it comes to the economic consequences of wars as well, especially when they occur in a region that is a chokepoint for the production and shipment of one-fifth of the world’s oil and a third of its natural gas.

Trump wearing his tacky, disrespectful campaign cap

Although no one really knows how deeply the ripple effects of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran will impair the global economy, the Gulf kingdom of Qatar issued a dire warning on March 6, 2026, that reflects those concerns: “This will bring down the economies of the world,” Qatar’s energy minister said.

As for the U.S. economy, it was already showing signs of weakness. Data released on March 6 showed an unexpected loss in jobs in February.

As an economist, I expect the biggest economic risks of this war to be inflationary pressures and slowing growth due to the rising price of oil. In addition, uncertainty from the “economic fog of war” could make consumers reticent to spend and businesses hesitant about hiring and investing. These conditions will make it challenging for policymakers to steer the economy.

Uncertainty and risks

There is currently, and likely to be for some time, great uncertainty about the length of the war in Iran, the range of countries involved and its costs. All of these factors will determine how much the war hurts economies in the U.S. and across the globe.

We do know there will be disruptions to the supply of oil and liquefied natural gas, which is difficult to ship through the Strait of Hormuz, and from the fiscal costs associated with this military action.

The price of crude oil has jumped by about 25% since the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran on Feb. 28, which has driven up gasoline prices across the U.S. The majority of oil and liquefied natural gas produced in the Middle East travels through the Strait of Hormuz – but the threat of attack has made travel through this waterway uninsurable, which has brought shipping through this vital passage to a virtual halt.

This is also an expensive military campaign for the United States, which has already seen the loss of aircraft and a depletion of its stock of missiles. Early estimates of the cost of the war were nearly US$1 billion a day.

Sue Anderbois is running for Lieutenant Governor

A candidate worth considering

Steve Ahlquist 

Steve Ahlquist: You’re running for Lieutenant Governor. Can you tell me about how you came to that decision?

Sue Anderbois: I made that decision this past fall after a lot of thought. It was a lot of wrestling with where I can be most effective. It’s a chaotic time, Steve. In Rhode Island, we have so many enormous problems. I honestly love my time on the Providence City Council. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and feel positive about what I’ve achieved. Most days, I’d say it’s the best job I’ve ever had. It was a hard decision to run for Lieutenant Governor and give up my seat, which I’ve never taken for granted. Elections are important. I was not concerned about reelection because I’ve delivered a lot for my constituents, but if someone ran against me, I would welcome it. That’s democracy.

I was trying to decide whether to run for reelection or do something else. Am I going to do none of this? I had a great day job that I loved, and I got a big promotion. I was traveling a lot for work. I talked with a lot of folk, asking, “How can I be most effective?” And the one thing that came up was the real opportunity in the lieutenant governor’s office. There, someone can lead without authority, because there aren’t very many statutory requirements for that job.

The job allows you to say, “This is an important thing, a hairy topic that we need to dig in on. We need to bring people to the table. We need to know how to work the legislature. We need to know how to work with the administration. We need to know how to bring in the community.” The job has room to solve some things. And honestly, my main skill in life is blowing things up, taking a larger view, and asking, “What is this? Transportation is never roads and bridges. How do we access healthcare? How do we access food and tourism?” It’s like all the things.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I had my own conversation with Sue, though hardly as long and in depth as Steve's. I was very impressed with her and think she's worthy of support. You should read Steve's extended interview below. Though the office of Lieutenant Governor is often thought of as an almost useless position (current LT Sabrina Matos and her predecessor Dan McKee are good examples of that type), it can also be a productive one. Charlie Fogarty showed that during his 1999-2007 term as did his successor Liz Roberts when she served from 2007-2015. It takes the right person.   - Will Collette

Priorities again

News and events from the Charlestown Democrats

 

C-Town Dems News

March 2026

Candidate events coming up!

Monday, March 18, 5:30 PM Town Hall with Sam Wilcox

Monday, March 30, 6 PM– 8 PM Trivia Night with Sam Wilcox   Join Sam for a fun evening of trivia and dinner in support of our campaign!  Running a campaign across the largest Senate district in Rhode Island takes real resources (from postage to printed materials) to ensure voters hear our message.   $25 suggested donation, includes dinner. Cash bar.

The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee mourns the passing of Chariho School Board Committee member Donna Chambers. You can read more about her years of service to our community here.

**In America, we don’t do kings.**  The next NoKings protest will be held March 28th, 2026. Click here to find one near you

Coming in April

Thanks to everyone who came out for March's Tea with Tina.   The next one will be April 4, from 10 AM – 12 noon at Caf Bar.   Tina will be joined by Andrew Kettle, Chief, Charlestown Ambulance Rescue. They'll be discussing HB 7485 which aims to improve ambulance services by requiring insurance to reimburse for care even when no transport to a hospital occurs. This legislation supports community paramedicine and "treatment in place" models, aiming to lower costs and improve care access, particularly in rural areas.

April 7th, 2026 Vote on the Chariho school budget at the Town Hall.

April 8th, 2026 Keith Hoffman, candidate for Attorney General of RI will be attending our regular committee meeting.* 6 PM in the Charlestown Police Station 4901 Old Post Road *Note this is one week later than usual due to scheduling conflicts.

Call for Volunteers Your Charlestown Democratic Town Committee needs you! We are looking for active participants who want to help support Democratic candidates and causes. If interested, send a note to info@charlestowndemocrats.org. Please consider joining us!

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The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party in the town of Charlestown, RI subject to RI Election Law, State Party rules and its own bylaws. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at the Charlestown Police Station. Any Charlestown registered Democrat is welcome to attend.

P.O. Box 1088, Charlestown RI 02813 Visit our social accounts charlestowndemocrats.org