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That picture from 1984 of me and my brothers in matching Vikings pajamas.

That Sunday at the Metrodome with my Dad watching and cheering for the same team he watched with his father. That afternoon on the couch jumping up-and-down with my family as the Vikings pulled out a thrilling victory against the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings stadium debate isnt all about dollars and cents. You cant put a price on the memories millions of Minnesotans have watching their team every Sunday. You cant put a price on the time spent with your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, siblings and friends as you cheered together, or screamed together, for three hours, for one cause, for one team. Thats whats being lost in this debate. Yes, the way we spend money as a state is important, especially when revenue is down. But, while we were facing a $5 billion deficit, we continued to fund the arts, the environment and dozens of private companies who do business in Minnesota. The Vikings stadium debate isnt all about dollars and cents. Go to the Metrodome on a Sunday morning. Go to any bar in Minnesota on a Sunday afternoon. Drive down your street at Noon on Sunday. The passion Minnesota fans have for their Vikings is undeniable and has been engrained in them for decades. This is the real debate. The fact some want to deny that the Minnesota Vikings are an important part of our culture and part of who we are as Minnesotans. Even if stadium opponents dont deny that, they wont even let the representative I voted for express their opinion. Unless, of course, my representative is one of 15 on the committee that voted to against the bill. But, theyll let every voter in the state have their voice heard on Voter ID. Which one affects more people? The history of Vikings football is legendary. The stories are personal. My father-in-law was late to his own wedding because the Vikings were playing in the NFC Championship Game. 40 years later, his wife, my mother-in-law, makes sure every Sunday is a special one, despite the Vikings disappointing her husband every couple years. Those are memories. Those are the afternoons that will be engrained in my mind for years to come. Those are special moments. Moments you cant measure with a dollar sign. Culture is important to us Minnesotans. Its what makes us such a diverse, well-educated citizenry. It is part of the reason the Twin Cities has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other metro area in the United States. It matters to us. I know some people will never support a stadium that has one cent of public money go towards it. But, Im asking you, for one minute, to think about the mother and daughter who get dressed up in purple every Sunday to support their team. Im asking you to think

about those little boys in their matching Vikings pajamas who loved every Sunday to pretend, in the front yard, that they were a Minnesota Viking. Im asking you to think about the son or daughter I may have one day and the memories youre taking from me if you let this team leave. This isnt all about dollars and cents. This is about preserving history. This is about enriching our culture. This is about family.

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