It’s a little over a month before the next election in November, and there’s a very grave threat to our free society. It’s in Congress. It’s in our justice system. It’s even seeped into the hallowed halls of the White House.

Political parties. They just need to die. Whether it’s peacefully in their sleep or strapped to a chair in a gas chamber, the great experiment of political parties needs to just be put out of its misery—and ours.

Sure, it’s good to find people who think like you do. It allows for some pleasant conversations and keeps you from thinking that you’re a freak because you believe the things you believe. Seeking fellowship with comrades in arms is how you develop support for big ideas.

Then again, there’s something to be said for heartfelt debates. Ideals sometimes need to be challenged and redeveloped. No one is infallible, and sometimes a particular notion needs to be called out before society collectively does something it regrets. Arguments can be healthy in moderation.

The problem is that we don’t engage in healthy arguments anymore, and we certainly don’t do it in moderation. Americans have adopted an us vs. them mentality, and it’s bred with reckless abandon by our political leaders.

If you dare to cross the aisle in government and side with someone from another party on an issue, you’re considered a pariah and a traitor and any other label you can imagine. It’s a philosophy that both Republicans and Democrats have adopted to create their mindless armies that will spread the “good word” of what they represent.

Take the upcoming election. On the Republican side, you have Donald Trump. There’s no hope for the aforementioned healthy arguments with him, as he takes anyone who disagrees with his ideas and denigrates them, either verbally at his political rallies or in writing via Twitter. Therefore, Republicans line up in lockstep to avoid the playground-style humiliation he dishes out.

Then you look at the Democrats, and the best they could come up with was Joe Biden, whose public gaffes make you wonder if we’re trading a morally bankrupt person for the village idiot. When Biden was the vice presidential candidate in 2008, he called on a state senator from South Carolina to stand up and be recognized. Such moments would cause many of us to turn away in disgust, and yet the Democrats are lining up in droves to say he’s the last, best hope to save America.

Of course, Congress is not a much better well to find leaders that will put the people first. Every time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (a Democrat) or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (a Republican) come on the television, I grab the remote like a loaded gun, point and fire. They’re so engrossed in their party dogma that they don’t stop to think about whether what they’re doing will affect the rest of us who work, play and try to live better lives.

Something to note: Congress’ latest approval rating, according to Statista, is 21%. The dissatisfaction rating is 75%. The cause of the dissatisfaction is clear—political parties.

Instead of putting up the best and the brightest people as potential choices to lead the country, the two major political parties are pushing through individuals of highly questionable character and expecting us to pick Choice A or Choice B. The Republican or the Democrat. The liberal or the conservative. The tyrant or the twit.

The craziest part of politics and the parties that rule them is that, ultimately, only two segments overall are represented—extremists to the right or the left. According to the latest Gallup poll, you have 29% of people claiming allegiance to the Republicans and 30% favoring the Democratic party, but 40% claim to be independent, not affiliated with a political party. That’s a huge chunk of our society left largely unrepresented because elections are stuck under a two-party system.

I know some Republicans that I like. I like some Democrats, too. There are also folks from both parties that I think need to just be put on a space shuttle and launched into space to save the planet. What I like or dislike about someone is based on their words and actions, not whether their mascot is a donkey or an elephant.

Take a look at my beliefs. I believe in the right to bear arms—a cause more supported by Republicans. I believe you should marry who you like, not just someone of opposing gender—a cause more supported by Democrats. I believe we should live on a budget. I believe in supporting the arts. I say the Pledge of Allegiance and salute the flag, but I’m not going to shred you if you don’t. We all have different points of views and beliefs. Why shouldn’t our representatives in government reflect that?

The notion that Republicans and Democrats are the only ones that deserve to furnish candidates for local, state and national elections is ridiculous. Maybe the best candidate is a conservative in one election and a liberal better suited for another election. Maybe we should decide between two—or more—candidates who can convince us they’re the best choice without a maniacal, frothing pack of party opportunists waiting in the wings.

Never has it been more important in America to find leaders who will take us into a future of peace and prosperity. The choices for president are bad and worse, and for other offices, the choices are only slightly more palatable. What does that bode for our future? Not good things, not good at all. It’s time for the political parties to go. Put them out to pasture or bury them under it—either way, it can only better our country.