You deserve to get into the playoffs after what you did at 0:12.

And LOL at the player that threw a snowball at 0:07. Also, one of the million reasons Alan Faneca is the man -- peep 0:37.

7:30 p.m.

• Remember when high gas prices were supposed to be BAD? This was from my local liberal fishwrap last week.

If gas prices drop as much as predicted, and if the prices remain low, PennDOT will face far more serious money problems than it already does.

 

That's because the gas tax that was automatically increased by 3.8 cents a gallon in 2005 and another 1.2 cents in 2006 without lawmakers having to vote on it could just as automatically go down again.

 

The increases that caught the public by surprise were based on a complicated, little-known provision of the 1981 Oil Company Franchise Tax. The act imposes the tax on fuel at the wholesale level, but the oil industry passes it on to you, the consumer.

STOP THE PRESSES~!!!! You mean to tell me that when you tax an evil money-making company, that evil money-making company passes on the cost to the CONSUMERS? But ... but .... we're supposed to punish the evil money-making companies!

For years, the tax that's adjusted annually was based on a 90-cent-a-gallon "floor" because gas prices were so low. But over two years, effective Jan. 1, 2006, it reached the "ceiling" of $1.25 when the cost of gas and diesel went through the roof.

 

If the wholesale price drops to the minimum amount again -- and it was close last week -- the tax could go down by 5 cents a gallon, constituting a loss to PennDOT of more than $300 million over a full year.

 

That would be on top of $450 million PennDOT anticipated but won't be receiving as a result of the Federal Highway Administration's failure to approve converting Interstate 80 to a toll road.

 

And that would be on top of $150 million PennDOT anticipated but won't be receiving as a result of the nation's worsening economy, bringing lower overall fuel sales and other diminished revenue streams that support the Motor License Fund.

 

Let's see. That adds up to $900 million less state money available to spend on PennDOT roads and bridges.

 

And that's before stagnant federal funding and the double-digit inflation that have dealt a blow to the highway-construction industry.

 

Remember the special commission Gov. Ed Rendell appointed several years ago to examine the state's transportation-funding issues?

 

The blue-ribbon panel concluded PennDOT needed about $900 million in new revenue just to preserve the status quo and up to $2.2 billion to significantly improve the system.

So I guess now when President Hussein raises gasoline taxes, it will be applauded by Medium-Large Media because it's going to fund welfare road construction. Actually, I'm not guessing on this one.

Not surprisingly, the state Legislature ignored the commission's recommendations about how to raise more money. Instead, it passed Act 44, directing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to borrow $2.5 billion, raise tolls by 25 percent (starting Jan. 4) and toll I-80.

 

Mr. Rendell's Transportation Funding and Reform Commission concluded in 2006 that the state faced a transportation-funding crisis.

 

If it was a crisis then, what do we call it now?

Jesus tap-dancing Christ, when are we NOT in a crisis? Everybody get in their bunkers.

• We could possibly have four NFL teams with double-digit win totals miss the playoffs but have two teams at 8-8 win their respective divisions. Awesome.

• Is anyone really surprised?

Paralyzed by the credit crisis, the commercial real estate industry is the latest to seek a government bailout of sorts.

 

In November, a dozen real estate development groups banded together to ask Uncle Sam for help avoiding looming defaults, foreclosures and bankruptcies.

 

Some of the country’s biggest developers, including the chief executive of New York-based Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO), have asked Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to be included in a $200 billion loan program recently created by the government. The program, the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, was intended to support the market for car loans, student loans and credit card debt.

Hell, I'm starting to think giving out welfare to individuals might be the better bet. At least they don't pretend to be leeches.

• So I just had a Scott Keith's Biggest Fan moment. In my own house. The better half and I got a camcorder on Black Friday. She’s playing around with the thing and trying to burn her recently film creations to DVDs. I have no motivation to figure it out. Well, here’s a conversation we just had. Figure out who’s who.

“I can’t get this video to appear on the computer. What do I do?”

“I dunno.”

“I want to burn this to a disk. I’m putting in a blank disk and nothing is happening.”

“Are you using a DVD disk?”

“No.”

“You need a DVD disk to burn DVDs.”

“You do?”

It was at this moment that infamous TSM thread popped into my head. I’m dead serious.