Last week the Vermont Legislature wrapped up its 2010 session. As Rep. Ann Manwaring so adroitly summarizes in her column this week, there were definitely winners and losers to come out of this session. What’s always interesting is that the repercussions from many of the Legislature’s actions won’t be felt for years to come.

There’s no doubt that legislators had a tough row to hoe this year. Revenues were down, and projected to stay down for the foreseeable future. That made for many long days and nights, as wrangling took place over proposals and their financial implications. For some, cuts in state spending didn’t go far enough. For others, spending cuts were too onerous, as they mean a reduction in many state services.

But what are some of those expenditures for the upcoming year?

The website vtdigger.org reports the state will spend approximately $1.47 billion for general fund items in fiscal year 2011. That number doesn’t include capital improvement projects ($74 million), education ($1.86 billion), transportation ($582 million) or other assorted expenditures.

In all, according to vtdigger.org, the state will spend around $4.7 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Got that? A staggering number to many. The biggest ticket item?

Human services spending is just a hair more than education spending at $1.87 billion, including $327 million for state-run health insurance programs and $632 million for Medicaid.

But, that education number listed above doesn’t include higher education. College contributions include $40 million to the University of Vermont, $23 million to the other state colleges, and $18.3 million to the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, which doles out college loans and grants. So really, education trumps all, with a combined total just under $2 billion, about 41% of the total spending for the state next year.

Whether or not we are getting good value for that spending is something better saved for another time. Right now, we’re just looking at the numbers.

The Agency of Commerce and Community Development, which includes tourism marketing and economic development, will receive $66 million. We find this interesting, as it is only slightly more than one tenth of one percent of the total budget, yet should be the whip that stimulates the economy, which in turn generates tax revenues to pay for everything.

The agriculture department will see just over $13 million, just slightly more than the $12 million we’ll contribute to Homeland Security to keep us safe from all those radicals in Quebec poised to invade. For a state that prides itself on its agricultural heritage, it seems like a pittance.

There’s plenty more interesting tidbits to find in the state spending plan for next year. Thanks to the Internet and extensive online media coverage, much can be found with a few mouse clicks on the computer. We urge readers to take some time and search for themselves. It will be an eye opener, to say the least.

Again, as Manwaring points out, there is something for everyone to dislike. Perhaps, in a weird sort of way, that’s politics at its best.