Hot(ish) Takes, Cool Heads — January 14, 2026
Hot(ish) Takes, Cool Heads is a regular set of short, sourced opinions—sharp but civil—on family, economics, politics & faith, masculinity, and the modern attention diet. One clear claim per take, built for dialogue rather than dunking.
1) We say we value families; our zoning should prove it
Take: Legalize more “gentle density”—ADUs, duplexes, small apartments—so teachers, nurses, and young families can live near work.
Why: We’re short on starter homes and mid-sized rentals; single-family-only rules throttle supply and push prices up. Where rules change, supply follows—California’s ADU reforms drove a surge in permitting since 2016 (many cities saw double- and triple-digit growth). And the stakes are real: only ~12% of homes within a 20-minute commute are affordable to the average U.S. teacher, down from ~30% pre-pandemic.
Question: If your city changed one rule this year (ADUs by right, fewer parking minimums, duplexes on single-family lots), which would unlock the most attainable homes?
If I’m wrong: Show me places where keeping single-family exclusivity preserved affordability for middle-income households.
2) AI won’t fix bad workflows
Take: GenAI amplifies whatever system it touches—so if your process is messy, AI just makes the mess faster.
Why: Field experiments show big gains when tasks are structured and suited to the tool, and worse outcomes when they aren’t. In one large study, consultants using AI completed more tasks, faster—on the right kinds of work—but performance degraded when the tool was misapplied.
Question: What one workflow would you redesign (inputs, owners, definition of done) before adding a single AI feature?
If I’m wrong: Point to durable productivity gains from AI bolt-ons that required no process changes.
3) Local news is civic protein
Take: Starve local reporting and the community gets weaker—more rumor, less problem-solving.
Why: Hundreds of U.S. counties now qualify as “news deserts,” and tens of millions of people have limited or no access to robust local reporting. When budgets collapse, beats shrink to quick-turn police blotters and reprinted press releases. Accountability requires time-intensive investigative journalism—reporters on school boards, zoning, health departments, procurement, and policing who can follow a paper trail, not just a scanner. Shared facts are infrastructure for trust, budgets, and projects that actually ship.
Question: What’s one local outlet or newsletter you’ll support this year (subscribe, send a news tip, or sponsor a beat)?
If I’m wrong: Make the case that social feeds and blotter-style posts can replace beat and investigative reporting without losing accountability or outcomes.