Politicians in America have always used their platforms as a means of delivering empty promises and statements that are far too good to be true.

There is not one politician who has not done this, not one who is exempt.

They, however, are not solely to blame, as we take their promises and place the person who said them on a pedestal.

We turn our TV on for an hour at a time and build our image of politicians off of the brief moments where we see them promise to make everything better.

We have begun to see the best politicians as the white knights of America. We see them as building a better future, when in fact their minds are often stuck only in the next 4 years.

Even in the case of re-election, we are lured in by the same promises they made only years prior.

There is no best candidate, there are only a few good ones here and there, and we need to start thinking long term.

We the people hold the power, and if we are this easily swayed by sugar-coated words then we lose that power.

We become nothing more than pawns in a chess game that can be played different ways to get different people into power.

If this continues, we will fall into the same cycle for as long as we live, and every generation to follow will be subjected to trying to pick up the pieces of a fallen government.

Whether it be a promise of a wall, or healthcare reform, or even free college, we cannot let ourselves be fooled time after time.

With the current state of our leadership, it is easy to look upon possible presidential candidates and see hope, a future better than the time we currently reside in.

This illusion of grandeur causes us to put all our faith, all our trust, in their hands.

The fix to this problem is quite simple, and likely in your pocket right now. We simply need to take out our phones, and fact check.

If something sounds too good to be true, search if it is possible. If someone says they support something, google the person and see what they truly support.

We can look at every candidate for any office objectively, and only then should we decide who we will place our vote for.

There are no white knights and this is no fairy tale. We are parents, siblings, sons, and daughters, and our vote affects our families.

We must not fall for the promises made in one instance, we must listen to the statements made in the long run.

The next time you turn on your TV and see a politician talking, take five minutes of your day to google them, you might not like what you find.