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You’ve done it. I know you have.\nYou’ve read columns and editorials, and while reading some particular injustice, you’ve grumbled, “Even I could write better than that.”\nWell, now the chance has come to take your rightful place among the Indiana Daily Student Editorial Board luminaries.\nI think it was Socrates, or possibly Rodney Dangerfield, who said, “Everybody’s a critic.” These days, it’s truer than ever, as punditry becomes its own profession, and highly opinionated, reader-less blogs multiply like rabbits. Perhaps you, like me, author one of these blogs.\nWhile all these talking heads float about on YouTube, CNN and Entertainment Weekly, as well as the empty expanses of the Internet, giving commentary on everything under the sun, it might seem like the copious amount of opinion makes it less valuable. Yet, as the mass of uninformed opinion grows, the importance of high-quality opinion, grows too. If anything, the current fluid environment of opinion means that well fleshed arguments can find audiences quickly and change minds. That’s why we need smart people talking – to stand out from the crowd of dim mouth-breathers.\nThis is where you come in. The IDS is read by everyone who’s anyone on campus, and commentary is one of our prime assets. You can give something that readers don’t find in The New York Times or the The Wall Street Journal. After all, a clear informed opinion from a student is more persuasive than an inscrutable one from some “expert,” whose writing style is as dull as his recycled ideas.\nThe torrent of opinion is unending, and with all this discussion circulating, you might wonder whether your voice will sound original amidst the din. Fear not. The IDS strives for a diverse editorial board, with many viewpoints represented, so long as they are well-argued and well-written. Furthermore, a disinterest in politics is no deal-breaker. Columns on culture, campus life or even a beloved pet can compel, while boilerplate foreign policy polemic can bore us to tears. \nAll the chatter veils the unfortunate truth that so many of the opinions we hear come directly from official sources in an extensive stage show, choreographed by the powers-that-be. Look at the staged “questions” of town hall debates and the rhetorical chest-thumping on Sunday morning talk shows. Instead, you can tell it like it is and liberate debate from the depths of skullduggery. \nBy writing a column, you can help shape what people talk about and how they talk about it. If you don’t think you’ll have readers, the volume of mail hitting the Opinion desk every week will speak otherwise. \nWhy do we need your opinion? In short, because we want to hear what everyone has to say. If you have a story to tell or a point to make, it’s time someone other than your cat has the opportunity to hear it. \nYou can pick up a copy of the application in the IDS newsroom in Ernie Pyle Hall 120 or online at idsnews.com on the Opinion page. We need you!\nOpinion may be cheap in the world, but we’re buying.