CSS - IE8 - Padding - Headaches

[TruthElixirX]

So, right now this is what I have:

/*custom links*/
.location a {
color:#FFFFFF;
padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;
background-color:#FBB03B;
font-size: 11pt;
text-decoration:none;
}

.prefix a {
color:#FFFFFF;
padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;
/*padding:8px;*/
/*background-color:#5C7099;*/
font-size: 10pt;
text-decoration:none;
}

.prefix div{
padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;
background-color:#3c003c;
}

.prefix a:link {color:#FFFFFF;}    /* unvisited link */
.prefix a:visited {color:#FFFFFF;} /* visited link */

.prefix a:hover {
color:#FFFFFF;
background-color:#9CC626;
padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;
}
.prefix a:active {color:#FFFFFF;}  /* selected link */

.location a:link {color:#3A003B; padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;}
.location a:visited {color:#3A003B;}
.location a:hover {color:#FFFFFF;background-color:#3C003C;}
.location a:active {color:#FFFFFF;}

This is my CSS.

This is my HTML code:

<div class="location">
<div height="999px">

<style type="text/css">
.L$foruminfo[forumid] {padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;background-color:#3C003C;color:#FFFFFF;}
</style>

<a href="index.php"><span class="L">Everything</span></a>
<if condition="is_member_of($vbulletin->userinfo, 9,11)"><a style="padding: 8px 8px 8px 8px;" href="forumdisplay.php?f=17"><span class="L17">Dublin 4</span></a>
<a href="forumdisplay.php?f=510"><span class="L510">Ballsbridge</span></a></if> 
<if condition="is_member_of($vbulletin->userinfo, 9)"><a href="forumdisplay.php?f=38"><span class="L38">The Gasworks</span></a></if>
<if condition="is_member_of($vbulletin->userinfo, 11)"><a href="forumdisplay.php?f=49"><span class="L49"> Cranmer Place</span></a></if>
</div>
</div>

Now, In Firefox 3.5, Opera, and Chrome it looks like it should:

Attachment 102252

But in IE it looks like so:

Attachment 102251

I've tried all sorts of fixes for the thing to make the bottom of the yellow part extend out, and can't for the life of me figure it out.