TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Greg Mankiw aptly sums up the budget debate brewing between the White House and Republicans:

Here we see the fundamental differences between the parties: One believes in spending more and allocating that spending via central planning. The other believes in spending less and harnessing individual choice and competition to ensure that the money is spent wisely.

To be sure, there is room for compromise, especially on the first question, but the issues are not just numerical. The parties start with fundamentally different visions of markets and government.