What have we learned in Legislature's first week?

The first week of the 2010 Utah Legislature is wrapping up, and what do we know?

That things are moving more slowly than some leaders want.

And that there are disagreements between the House, the Senate, Gov. Gary Herbert and individual members.

In other words, a legislative session as usual.

What is not usual is the large budget shortfall lawmakers see — $700 million.

Nor is the real effort at some kind of government ethics reform.

Of course, all this pales when compared to the pain and suffering by the people of Haiti and their families around the world.

When such a tragedy occurs — perhaps 200,000 people killed and 2 million displaced — it puts a perspective on what's happening in others' lives.

But it also means that life, and politics, goes on.

If Haiti had a political and economic system that worked, much of its people's suffering could have been avoided.

Salt Lake City sits on a large earthquake fault. But we are much better prepared for a large quake than was Haiti.

The work done in Utah's Capitol is evidence of that — $200 million was spent recently upgrading the nearly 100-year-old building to better help it withstand a severe earthquake.

Government's main job is to help keep people safe and to help in a war or natural disaster in ways that individuals working alone can't.

What Utah's 104 part-time legislators are doing now, in their annual 45-day general session, is part of government's most basic duties. And part of that basic duty is watching what these men and women do — and don't do.

So what did we learn this past week?

Well, Senate Republicans don't like the ethics package that House GOP leaders put together.

I don't know if the Utahns for Ethical Government supporters will get the required 95,000 signatures gathered by the April 15 deadline. If they don't, and their legislative ethics initiative doesn't make the November ballot, then perhaps Senate Republicans will be correct with their do-as-little-as-possible on ethics.