It's hard to restrain a "You gotta be kidding me" upon hearing that the Minnesota Vikings plan to renew their push this year for a new stadium. The economy across the nation is the grimmest it's been in decades. Here in Minnesota, legislators face a mind-boggling $4.85 billion budget deficit for the next biennium. Getting the go-ahead for a mostly publicly financed $954 million stadium looks about as likely as Scramblin' Fran Tarkenton coming out of retirement to lead the Vikes to a Super Bowl victory.

And yet there is another reality that has to be acknowledged. The Vikings are a valued part of Minnesota life, a recreational opportunity enjoyed not just by those with tickets but by millions around the state, as Nielsen TV ratings and sports bar receipts consistently indicate. At the end of today's playoff game with the Philadelphia Eagles, they will have just 30 regularly scheduled games left to play in the Metrodome. The team's lease is up in 2011. Its value is ranked dead last among all National Football League teams. Revenue-sharing is prompting tough questions from league officials. Concerns about the team leaving are not overblown. It's time to get serious about preventing their departure.

Does that mean the team's future is the Legislature's highest priority when it convenes Tuesday? Absolutely not. With the economy the way it is, everyone from the governor on down has hands full holding together core programs until the economy improves. At the same time, the proposed publicly owned stadium merits discussion this year. The Vikings are cannily promoting it as an economic stimulus project, and there's a fair argument to be made for that as the Twins and Gophers stadiums near completion. Political leadership is also needed to resolve a frustrating Catch-22 situation that has stymied real progress in answering the most critical question about the Vikings project: Who pays for it?

By the team's rough estimates, the downtown stadium project -- which could include development on land offered for sale by the Star Tribune -- might generate more than 5,500 jobs and $500 million to local contractors. More solid figures and updated costs are coming from research commissioned by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. Lawmakers shouldn't give the data short shrift. Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, correctly said last week that state lawmakers' mission this year is twofold: grappling with the budget and finding creative ways to get the economy back on its feet. That means getting significant numbers of people back to work. When things are this bad, Bakk said, legislators need to consider everything, even options that seem like a long shot.

The Catch-22 deals with the financing plan. Owner Zygi Wilf would pay for about a third of an open-air stadium's costs. But since parting ways with Anoka County, the Vikings consistently come up short in spelling out how to raise $635 million in public financing. Here's the catch: The team says it can't develop a detailed plan without guidance from political leaders, but the political leaders are reluctant to get involved until the Vikings provide a detailed plan. The team needs to understand that its less-than-detailed financing plan sends the wrong message: that it expects others to do the thankless job of building the framework and support for the public assistance it wants. Political leadership is needed from the state to help resolve this catch, but the Vikings also need to advance solid ideas to get this done.

More options need to be part of the dialogue this year between the Vikings and state leaders. Could a less expensive stadium be built? Could the NFL provide some financing? Could adding seat capacity to the new Gophers stadium provide the kind of permanent facility the team wants? Is there a financing model that relies on those who would use the facility? The Vikings want -- and deserve -- a serious discussion on their future here. It's time to kick-start that conversation.