As a Paradise Valley resident, I read the opinion piece written by Joe Smyth in the June 19 edition of the Independent newspaper. Let me state clearly that I completely agree with Mr. Smyth’s well articulated position.

The two party system in our country has lead us down a path that no longer contributes to the greater good of our citizenry. Quite the contrary.

The “either or” dynamic of having to choose between two suboptimal choices has gone beyond simply being negatively polarizing. It has now created a local/national environment of us versus them. When we should be acting like neighbors and fellow citizens, we are too often behaving as adversaries instead.

The system of government that our nation’s founders painstakingly designed was not meant to withstand this type of factionalism. If they were here to witness what has become of The American Experiment, they would likely be aghast at how our political class has distorted the true intentions of our constitutional democratic republic.

I echo Mr. Smyth’s call for open primaries as an important first step in repairing the building blocks necessary for a return to normalcy.

Ronnie Stillman
Paradise Valley