It’s a time-honored method for getting legislation done in the middle of a gridlock to attach an unrelated “rider” to a bill understood as “must pass.” I write this at three o’clock on the morning it is claimed the U.S. government will be rolling down Capitol Hill to a shutdown again unless our gridlocked Congress passes some sort of spending bill. Nobody is crazy enough to expect a budget, but conventional wisdom is that some “continuing resolution” will get to President Obama’s desk that funds the government for less that a year, at least until a more Republican Congress takes office next month.

Why would that be controversial at all, given the number of times Congress has taken taxpayer money out on the mall and lit it on fire by shutting the government down? All the polling data, which ought to count for something, tell us the taxpayers are tired of having a pile of their money burned for no good reason.

Still, the Tea Party caucus in the House is spoiling for another government shutdown, unless they can get something for keeping the lights on like a withdrawal of the Executive Orders on immigration or a repeal of Obamacare. Speaker John Boehner appears ready to pass the budget resolution the old fashioned way, by putting it on the floor for a vote and counting the votes, Republican and Democrat.