Happy Birthday, Jesus!

December 26, 2025

Doug Leyendecker

Welcome to This Week’s Leyendecker View

Simplicity is the key to brilliance.
–Bruce Lee

FAVORITE READS OF THE WEEK

The wages of failure
Government workers are overpaid.

Can Trump save Europe from itself?
His new National Security Strategy may help.

Does poverty cause crime?
Why are there racial disparities in the poor?

THINKING OUT LOUD

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Despite the fact that the story of Jesus is most relevant to Christians and Jews, it’s well known across the world and has had some degree of influence on all people on earth.

The story’s literal message is of sacrificing one’s own life for the betterment of others’ lives—something very few of us will ever do. Its metaphorical message is to be of service to others—something every one of us can do daily.

As the narrative goes, one man, Jesus, gave his life to save the rest of mankind. One man convinced a good many in the world that no matter your material wealth, it is your spiritual wealth that would take you to the afterlife of heaven.

And what is the foundation of this spiritual wealth that can eclipse material wealth? To do good, keep doing good, always seek to do good, and always seek to do better.

This narrative has its origins in the Ten Commandments, which Moses, a Jew, brought down from Mount Sinai 1440-ish years before Jesus arrived on the scene. The Commandments are:

The 10 Commandments are a list of rules on how one should live his or her life. Break any of these rules, and one has harmed God as well as their community. Those who do not seek to abide may not feel guilt. But those who do seek to abide will feel guilt.

So, in a way, guilt is at the foundation of Jewish and Christian cultures. And when we think about guilt, it should motivate us to strive for better, to do better, to be better.

This drive to be better is not just at the foundation of Judaism and Christianity, it is also at the foundation to Western culture and economy.

Europe and its progeny, the United States, have had economic success because our spiritual and emotional DNA is to improve, to learn from our mistakes, to do better the next time and to serve our fellow humans.

This motivation to do better and to serve our community is at the foundation of innovation upon innovation upon innovation.

Maybe Christianity is the foundation of The Land of Opportunity. Maybe Christianity is the foundation of the innovation that started when Gutenberg, living in Christian-dominated Europe, seeded Western culture’s economic explosion.

How can we make things better? How can we make people’s lives better?

The drive to do and be better started when Moses brought us the 10 Commandments. Jesus then reinforced these rules of civilized life as a prophet and in sacrificing his life for the world.

So while we’re taking down our Christmas tree, ornaments, lights, and other decorations, and as we’re enjoying our family, friends, and the gifts we received, let’s remember to wish Jesus a happy birthday.

We would not likely be here in our land of plenty without Jesus. We would not likely be here in our land of plenty without Moses. We are significantly lucky that our Founding Fathers and the early immigrants to this country were Christian. Thank the Lord! Thank Jesus!

THE RANDOMS

The perfection of imperfection: If things were perfect, then there would be nothing to learn.

Since everything runs in cycles, will the current “luxury everything” trend eventually be replaced by an “everything austerity” trend?

The debate over extending what was meant to be a temporary expansion of Obamacare subsidies during Covid tells us why this country is over $38 trillion in debt and growing. What was set as something that would expire is now something many legislators want to make permanent.

The only way to defeat a terrorist is to out-terrorize them. You have to make them more afraid of you than you are of them.

Both economic expansions and economic contractions tend to feed off themselves.

The simplest reason NOT to have offshore wind energy: In any conflict with a sovereign adversary, an undersea cable cut would eliminate electricity for millions of people and businesses.

If we had an index for the happiest state in the country, I expect Louisiana would be the winner by far and away. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Has AI become a mass psychosis for the technology, investor, and political crowds?

ECONOMIC NEWS

Economy

GDP growth is popping
While unemployment hits 4-year high
But jobless claims are starting to fall
While consumer confidence falls
Average car payment hits $750
Auto delinquencies keep rising

The Debt

Do we really need to slash the debt?
$10B a week to service our debt
US debt clock

Labor

HR needs to up its game
How AI may cause a labor shortage
The world of work over next 20 years
Less white collar, more blue collar

Health Care

Weight loss pill is coming
Older Americans quitting weight loss drugs
New weight loss drugs tailored to individuals
American seniors are over medicated

The Lone Star