So I have a fairly simple vertical CSS menu based off of UL.

<ul class="vertnav">
<li><a href="unselected1.php">Item1</a></li>
<li><a href="unselected2.php">Item2</a></li>
<li><a href="selected.php" class="vertnavdown">Selected</a></li>
</ul>

I want three basic colors (say tan for default LI, orange for VERTNAVDOWN, and red for A:HOVER. However I can't seem to get the vertnavdown class to inherit right, and the .vertnav li a:visited overrides it every time. if I use !important to force it through I can't seem to also get the hover to work.

Any suggestions? I thought I understood inheritance in CSS but I guess I don't.

.vertnav{
list-style: none;
margin: 0px;
width: 172px;
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 11px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
text-align: left;
height: 45px;
}
.vertnav li{
margin: 0px;
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 11px;
border-bottom: 0px none;
border-right: 0px none;
border-top: 1px solid #fff;
border-left: 0px none;
text-align: left;
height: 45px;
width: 172px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}

.vertnav li a{
display: block;
text-align: left;   
color: #666666;
font-weight: bold;
background-color: #FFEEC1;
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 11px;
text-decoration: none;
padding-top: 10px;
padding-right: 0px;
padding-bottom: 0px;
padding-left: 15px;
height: 45px;
}
.vertnav li a:visited{
display: block;
text-align: left;   
color: #666666;
background-color: #FFEEC1;
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 11px;
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
padding-top: 10px;
padding-right: 0px;
padding-bottom: 0px;
padding-left: 15px;
height: 45px;
}
.vertnav li a:hover{
color: white;
background-color: #ffbf0c;
font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
height: 45px;
text-decoration: none;
font-weight: bold;
}
.vertnavdown a
{
display:block;
color: #FFF;
background-color: #ff9000;
}
.vertnavdown a:hover
{
background-color: #ffbf0c;
}

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Edited to add CSS. ^^^^^^