No Need to Think Anymore

It used to be that with few exceptions the real ideologues in economics were on the left. Those days are long gone. There are almost no hard-core communists anymore, except maybe in Cuba. Instead, all the "it doesn't matter what's factual, I know the Truth" commissars are on the right.

Here's a helpful little hint as you go down the road of life — do not pay attention to Austrian economists. Believe me, you'll be better off. If your economist isn't British and gay, there's no need to listen.
In America, the Republican party has abandoned all reason and just become ranting and raving. This happened sometime around the election of Bill Clinton. There used to be a half-dozen reasonable Republicans, but they all jumped ship onto the new, conservative, Democratic party in the US.
The Democratic party contains anyone who's actually in favor of a balanced budget (and actually means it, rather than using it as a talking point and then spending lavishly and crazily when given the first opportunity.)