Columbia County’s government has done a good job in recent months looking for cost savings by consolidating staff positions and constantly re-evaluating job descriptions.

Another move toward consolidation underway involves quasi-governmental agencies rather than employees, and is even more good news for the county.

As a senior Spanish education major at Valdosta State University, I had the opportunity this past semester to work with adult English language learners at the Plaza Comunitaria in Statenville, Ga. I became acquainted with many Mexican immigrants who live and work in south Georgia.

One student at the plaza has lived in the United States for 11 years and is the father to three beautiful girls, all of whom were born in the United States and have dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico.

If a school principal had to give pupils a warning about their behavior prior to their bus leaving school, it’s probably a safe bet that those kids bear at least a little responsibility for that driver having to pull over and cool off during the ride home.

After that fateful ride last week, some Euchee Creek Ele-mentary parents complained about the driver’s behavior based on tales from their children. Some of that carries the self-serving whine of enabling.

Can anyone doubt that we live in an age of diversity? The barrage of campaign trail blather is enough to remind us that when it comes to the more controversial topics, lines get drawn in the sand with a pretty heavy hand. All one has to do is read the daily headlines to see that we are a people who hold a variety of opinions on almost every topic.