The big story out of the Capitol today involves castration. Well, not really castration, but chemical castration. And it was the big story if you watched TV last night. I'll get to it in a minute but first another story about cutting...the budget. It involved the increasingly vocal religious leaders of the state. Dane Smith of the Star Tribune has the story:

In a display of religious muscle-flexing on state budget policy, four leaders of the state's largest denominations on Thursday boldly called for income tax increases and fewer spending cuts to ease the state's budget crisis. And some of them came close to describing Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty as standing on the wrong side of a moral dividing line.

"The taxes we pay allow us to meet our moral responsibility toward our fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters in the family of God, who need our help to live in accordance with their God-given dignity," said Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Leaders of the Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish and Islamic faiths have taken similar positions in the past three years of budget crises. But they appear to be a bit more active and outspoken on this latest in the string of deficits.

Some have been touring poorer areas of the state to draw attention to increased social problems. But Thursday's event -- called "Faith in the Common Good" -- was the first in which they proposed a specific solution, one of the first broad budget-balancing tax solutions offered by any group.

The leaders of what are known as the mainstream faiths -- representing some 2.2 million Minnesotans -- described their solution as a "partial rollback" of several years of cuts in state income tax rates. They contend their plan would raise about $836 million toward a projected deficit of about $700 million. But it would amount to only about half of the additional revenue that the state would have had under the 1999 income tax rates, before successive years of cuts. The leaders said that most Minnesotans would still be paying less than they did in 1999, especially figuring state and federal income taxes combined.

Dane notes later in the story that DFL leaders are not proposing a tax increase. So what about that castration story? MPR's Michael Khoo had this item:

Pedophiles who commit particularly serious sex crimes could be targeted for chemical castration if some state lawmakers have their way.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, said re-offense rates are substantially lower in men whose testosterone levels have been chemically manipulated to depress sexual urges.

Emmer's plan would apply to pedophiles whose victims are under age thirteen and who crimes meet certain aggravating circumstances. A judge could order the procedure or convicted offenders could voluntarily request it.

Emmer said the notion may sound shocking -- but he says the plan addresses a serious public safety issue.

"The question is can you balance the need to protect the most vulnerable in our society -- children -- against an individual's constitutional rights. That's the real issue. And I think that's been addressed here. I think the overwhelming research proves this is effective and is appropriate," he said.

Emmer said several states already sanction chemical castration, including Iowa and Wisconsin. The treatment is reversible and requires periodic doses of the drug to maintain its effects.

Others aren't so sure it's a good idea, and the proposal may have trouble clearing Senate committees. But Gov. Pawlenty says he's interested in looking at the idea.

Finally today maybe we didn't hear the whole story about why Sen. Mark Dayton announced he will not seek re-election. What about the rats? Don Davis had the story in the Fargo Forum:

Any time a U.S. senator admits to blowing up rats in a microwave oven, even unintentionally, it's obvious his political future is in doubt.

Mark Dayton had been a senator less than two years when he was on a telephone conference call with Minnesota reporters, talking about his impending move to a townhouse.

One problem: He had to get rid of his sons' pet boa constrictor. The good news, however, was the move meant he would not have to thaw frozen rats to feed the snake.

"You only try it once," the Minnesota Democrat said. "Take my word for this one."

When pressed, he issued a warning: "Don't try to thaw them out by putting them in the microwave; it takes a couple of days to clean the remains out of the microwave."

Hey, how much heat should Dayton have to take for this? It's not like the rat was alive when he blew it up.