Cash Rules Everything Around Me: The lesson the White House appears to have learned from this month’s elections is that voters think people here make too much money. There’s not a much better explanation for President Obama‘s decision to freeze pay for federal workers, since the difference it’ll make in the deficit is miniscule. But every little bit of sacrifice counts, especially when the people doing the sacrificing live in the District, Maryland, and Virginia, not some Republican freshman’s House district. -2

Bay Bucks: Sure, we all like the environment, and no one wants to eat polluted crabs. But fixing up the Chesapeake could also mean jobs for the region, a new report says. Which probably means someone will find a way to keep it from happening. +1

Protect Your Neck: Add a new alarming concern to your list of worries while riding Metro—that a fellow passenger might stab you in the neck as you exit the system. That’s what happened to a man Sunday afternoon at the Georgia Avenue/Petworth stop on the Yellow and Green lines. Little information has been released about the incident; apparently, the whole region owes the Tea Party an apology. -1

Snow?: It’s getting colder and colder out, which means it’s almost time to panic about OHMYGODSNOWSNOWSNOWSNOW. Okay, sure, there’s only a 20-30 percent chance on Sunday. Still! Go buy milk and toilet paper, just in case. +1

Put the Bandwagon Away: And just like that, the playoff talk (which shouldn’t ever have started) is over. The Redskins lose to the Vikings, at home, 17-13. The good news: Next year’s NFL draft isn’t that far off. The bad news: The Redskins will probably trade away their picks in exchange for the rights to sign Jerry Rice. -2

Wednesday’s Needle rating: 52 Today’s score: -3 Today’s Needle rating: 49