BY: DAN WOLTORNIST

By this point of the primary season, most people have a candidate that they strongly identify with or at least prefer to the others. It usually seems that you are talking about how expensive some item is and your friend goes off on how we need to return to a gold standard. This is fine and dandy but there is a very common problem with political expression here at Franciscan. If you pardon the crude analogy, we have the political equivalent of cafeteria Catholics who see their only religious obligation as to go to Church on Sundays. Essentially, we have many people who talk the talk but do not walk the walk. If I may take the liberty to name these people, I think the name 'cafeteria politicker' does justice.

What types of actions would characterize a cafeteria politicker? They post every other status on Facebook about some policy issue. They get worked up about current events or the latest thing that the Obama Administration has done. Don't get me wrong, it is great that these people care and keep up with present day issues, but that only gets you so far.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but political campaigns are extremely difficult to run, and even more-so to win. If you are one of those people who loves to talk about politics or gets fired up about issues, you should consider volunteering for a campaign. The principle from St. Paul that "Faith without works is dead" also applies to our personal convictions. If you really believe that a particular candidate is best for America, you should make an effort to campaign for them and help to them get elected. Simply casting your ballot is only the beginning of an expression of your beliefs.

All successful campaigns have two marks in common-a strong volunteer base and financial resources. If you really believe in a candidate, it is your responsibility to provide one or both of these essential things. It is less likely that you will provide financial resources as a college student but time is certainly more convenient as for the large tracts of dispensable time that college students possess.

If you decide to give your time to a campaign, it is very easy to do so. All you have to do is call your local political party on the phone and ask about volunteer opportunities. Most people are more interested in getting involved in presidential campaigns and that is not much more inconvenient. All you have to do is visit your candidate's website and sign up as a volunteer.

In that capacity you could perform several duties. The campaign could have you call targeted voters for the primary. You could also be asked to go door to door and ask people to support your candidate. It does sound very intimidating to get involved, but campaigns are renowned for being friendly and loyal to their volunteers. Campaign management is also understanding toward volunteers messing up in their duties. As college students we also have other opportunities to get involved politically. You could join one of the political clubs on campus and help educate your fellow students on issues that are important to you.

Next time you speak about your candidate, seriously consider giving your time to advance their cause and put your money where your mouth is.