Do away with political parties

I believe the government should do away with political parties and form a system of politics that does not divide the country the way our current system does.
Political parties encourage politicians to choose a side based on what is good for the party as opposed to what is good for the country. It forces politicians to take on a cause that they do not necessarily believe in.
Political parties also come with stereotypes that may not be true. A voter who believes guns should be more strongly regulated may automatically disregard any Republican candidates because of the assumption that he is "pro-gun", when in fact he is spearheading an anti-gun bill in congress.
Banning political parties forces the public to get to know the candidate as opposed to voting based on party allegiances.