Gone are the days of simple political ads that inform the public of candidates’ ideas, principles and other factors that should be instrumental in forming our decision. Instead, politicians are focusing on slandering their opponents in an ever-escalating competition of who can create the flashiest commercials.

Samuel L. Jackson recently starred in a new Obama ad entitled, “Wake the F*** Up”, which calls for everyone to vote for Obama so as to not let the country fall into Romney’s hands. Interestingly enough, the ad was paid for by the Jewish Council for Education and Research (just a little tidbit for you).

Romney has released numerous slanderous ads about Obama that lead to uninformed voters relying on biased, and often false, information when making a decision. Voters are often uninformed by choice, and should rely on their own research rather than make their decisions based on political propaganda. Whoever they vote for, the voters’ decision this November should be informed.

You should not vote for Obama because you are a Jackson fan, just as you should not vote for Romney because you are a fan of watching Clint Eastwood scream at an empty chair. You should vote for the candidate with whom you share your ideals and whom you would trust to run the country. If that means you will vote for Obama or Romney, great. If that means that you will vote for Ron Paul or Jill Stein of the Green Party, that’s great as well. Just as long as you are making your own decision on an informed basis.

Speaking of Eastwood and the chair, when looking back at the national conventions you should focus on what the candidates talked about, rather than what the celebrities or their other endorsers said. Neither Eastwood nor Clinton is going to make the future decisions of our country; it will be either Obama or Romney who will lead the country in the direction they plan to take it.

If elected, Obama would most likely continue on the path he’s been on, while Romney would obviously take a much more different approach to running to country. We do not know whether Obama’s plan will continue to lead us in the right direction or if Romney can do any better, and even what we think the right decision will be might not work out over time, but being informed increases the likelihood that voters will choose the candidate that’s best for our country.

To be sure of this, we need to gather all the information the parties have provided for us, weigh the pros and cons and make an intelligent decision on what we believe the right choice is. Everyone has their opinion when it comes to politics, but when it comes to choosing the leader of the United States, we need to listen to the facts we collect ourselves and not let any advertisements or endorsements sway our vote. Every election is an important one, as the future of the country is in jeopardy every time.