The GOP almost succeeded in allowing their Appropriations Chairmen to secretly snoop around your tax returns, but the Democrats would have none of it. Now, they're using this issue to quite effectively hammer the Republicans.

A handful of lawmakers voted for spending legislation to keep the government from shutting down as House Democrats resolved to let Republicans twist in the wind a little longer over a provision passed last week that both parties agree was a bad idea.

They'll fix it later, when the Democrats decide to let the Republicans stop sweating. For now, Wednesday's vote by skeleton crews in the House and Senate on a stopgap spending bill keeps the government operating until early December.

The holdup is over language buried in a $388 billion spending bill that could let leaders of Congress' Appropriations committees examine income tax returns.

Both parties favor killing the tax return idea before it becomes law and the Senate has already voted to do so. But Democrats blocked a House vote until Dec. 6.

That delay gave Democrats more time to criticize majority Republicans for letting the provision slip through and for using their muscle to ram bills through Congress with little chance for lawmakers to learn what is in them. The overall bill and accompanying documents stood 3,646 pages tall on lawmakers' desks when they approved it Saturday.

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About time the Democrats stand up to the GOP. One party rule is not good for America.