(Image credit: Getty Images) George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying that if all economists were laid end to end, they wouldn't reach a conclusion. And President Truman said, "Give me a one-handed economist. All my economists say 'on the one hand…' then 'but on the other hand.'" If you read the business news, it often seems that Shaw and Truman were right. Some economists seem to always favor one viewpoint, while others favor another. Often, it seems that their opinions line up with their politics. And yet, there are many areas where there is common thought among economists. One way to find them is to read basic economics textbooks. When professors write these books for students, they want to cover the basic principles that are needed to understand the field. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor.…