So he lost 40 pounds. Whatever, he’s obviously still got his sweet tooth. With only two weeks left in office, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is gonna save Tasty Baking Company, because, you know, a little government subsidy to make up for his lack of patronage over the last cpl years might not be a bad idea:

“We are trying to find a way to keep Tastykake on its feet,” said Rendell in an interview Thursday in the Capitol. “It’s an important Pennsylvania company and a significant employer. We’d like them to stay out of bankruptcy.”

Tasty, which disclosed serious financial problems Wednesday, moved last year from Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood to a new headquarters and $78 million bakery at the Philadelphia Navy Yard with the help of $32 million in publicly subsidized loans. In March, the company employed 315 at the bakery.

The state is prepared to “loan them a little more” in the form of a short-term loan, Rendell said. With the company appearing to be headed for a merger or sale, Rendell said he envisions that the loan would be repaid quickly as part of the deal.

For a little more background on Tasty’s troubles, this video sums it up:

We at LOLFed actually heard that cupcakes are on the way out and pie is the new killing it, so we’re not sure we’d be pouring a ton of money into this deal unless Tastykake was prepared to make a significant capital expenditure into 9″ pans. But, it’s not our money, it’s the fine folks in PA financing this thx to a lame duck elected official, so, you know, they might as well hope foodie forecasters are wrong about the whole pie and cupcake thing.