Bravo to Govs. Tom Corbett, Ed Rendell, Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Tom Wolfe for arguing that primary elections should include independent and third party voters.

Legislation regarding this matter should also allow anyone registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote for whoever they want from either party. I have always considered the exclusion of the independent voter or not allowing cross-party voting to be un-American and unconstitutional, regardless of what the courts have ruled.

As a matter of fact, I feel that the independent voter is the most patriotic (by the very definition of the word) of all voters, for they actually do put country first, above political party or leader.

I do not discount the feeling of patriotism that all voters have but, if you are voting for a person solely because they have a D or an R after their name on the ballot, you are only patriotic by feeling and not by definition.

I urge all Pennsylvanians from all parties, if you really want to see the true patriotism of “country first,” to support this movement.

James Livermore, Butler Township