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Each November we see celebrities hopping on the political bandwagon and trying to make a difference in the world

This is also known as election season.

UCLA students were treated to a special surprise recently when Bill Clinton appeared on campus as part of a Yes on Proposition 87 campaign, and he brought the star of “Commander in Chief” herself, Gina Davis, along with him.

Yes, Geena1 Davis. Perhaps you remember her from “A League of Their Own” or “Thelma & Louise,” but why is she speaking at a political rally for college students?

Just because you play a president on TV, it doesn’t make you an expert on politics, although that would be pretty cool.

Davis isn’t the only celebrity to talk politics. Washington D.C. and Hollywood have long been associated with each other. Washington has even been called “Hollywood for ugly people” by Sen. John McCain.

Seeing that the majority of celebrity political activists are either actors or singers, it’s interesting that they branch out into politics.

Don’t get me wrong; I love famous people.

I’m perfectly content flipping though the tabloids, looking at photos of stars pretending to get annoyed at the paparazzi who photograph them leaving The Ivy or strolling solo on a Malibu beach with their 10 adopted dogs.

But it’s really annoying when they dabble in politics.

Why is it that we give them the opportunity to rant about political matters? The majority of them do not have any political experience whatsoever, so why are they treated as experts?

The main reason this bothers me is that it is simply unfair. I know countless of political science students (myself included) who have had to slave away studying for the LSAT in hopes of one day becoming a lawyer and part of the political process, just so they can be given national attention about things they actually have experience with.

During the 2004 presidential election, Paris Hilton was overheard saying she would be voting for John Kerry, and she was also part of the Diddy-sponsored “Vote or Die” campaign.

After all of her hard work during election time, she didn’t even vote in the election, nor was she registered to vote.

Hilton isn’t the only celeb hypocrite. Ben Affleck, a strong Democrat who many have claimed will one day run for office, hasn’t exactly had an admirable voting record.

According to the Web site the-smokinggun.com, Affleck “made it to the polls exactly once in the past 10 years – and didn’t even bother to vote in 2000, when he traveled the country with Al Gore in an effort to get out the youth vote .”

The interesting thing is that we have a history of electing celebrities.

After all, Ronald Reagan was a well-known actor prior to his stint in the White House, and our lovely governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, starred in such critically acclaimed films as “Kindergarten Cop” and “Eraser.”

Why should celebrities automatically be given this attention when they have done nothing relevant to achieve their positions?

Celebrities are also often applauded for their humanitarian efforts.

Maybe they feel they are qualified to enrich the minds of others because they consider themselves to be such humanitarians.

After all, Angelina Jolie has adopted two orphans and Madonna is currently browsing the market trying to close the deal.

But do you really become some international do-gooder just because you adopt a child? I think it’s great that these children are not going to spend their lives poverty stricken, obviously, but I think they’re almost becoming the latest “it” item, such as the teacup Chihuahua that fits into your purse or the custom-made Prius hybrid car.

The bottom line is simple: We’re all star-struck. The elected officials sitting in their toasty offices on Capitol Hill probably just want to be face-to-face with Brangelina, so they nod their heads and act like they’re actually learning something when celebrities open their mouths about any given subject.

Like I said before, I have no problem with celebrities. My only advice to politicians is simple: Stick to Us Weekly if you like famous people, but please don’t give them political authority.

If you want to flip through the latest Us Weekly and roast celebrities, e-mail Shackelford at bshackelford@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

1 CORRECTION: This name was originally mispelled, but it was corrected.