On September 9, 2012 Romney stated on Meet the Press "I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place."  

But, but I thought he said he would repeal Obamacare.  Didn't he?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, he did. When the Supreme Court ruled Obamacare constitutional he said, "...I will act to repeal Obamacare."  On July 10,2012 he stated that it must be repealed and gave some reasons.

But, none-the-less, he is talking about his plans for replacing Obamacare.  On Meet the Press he said that he wants to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage.  Then he says that he wants to assure "that the marketplace" allows for individuals to have policies to cover their family up to whatever age they want.  What he is saying is that he will force insurance companies to follow government mandates. Government force is not compatible with the free market. 

But wait, didn't he say he would defend economic freedom and opportunity?

He did. At the Republican Convention he said, "In the campaign to come, the American ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense, and I intend to make it because I have lived it."

So why does Romney say he is not getting rid of all of health care reform?  And why isn't he consistent in defending the free market?

The problem is that most of our current politicians don't think or act on principle.  Notice that when Romney spoke about repealing Obamacare his reasons were the high costs and its effect on Medicare and jobs, not the infringement of our freedom.  He never once mentioned that health care is not a right.  If he understood that principle he would reject the entire notion of the government having anything to do with controlling our health care. 

Our Founding Fathers were able to think and act on principle.  They had a founding principle upon which our country was built and without which there never would have been a United States of America.  It is this single idea that all the rest of their ideas rested upon and it is how they came up with their unique system of government.  Does Romney even know what that one principle is?  Let alone stick to it?  Yet the Founders were willing to risk their lives and everything they had for it-the principle of individual rights.

Individual rights are spelled out very clearly in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  It goes on to say that the government was created among men to protect those rights.  And that is all the government should be doing.  That's it.

The government should not be regulating us.  They should not be forcing our insurance companies, forcing our doctors, forcing the markets, forcing us.  That is not freedom.

Paul Ryan stated, "We are not going to try and replace our founding principles; we are going to re-apply our founding principles." If Paul Ryan understands those principles let's hope he communicates them to Romney before the election because so far it's not looking so good.

About the author: Charlotte Cushman is a Montessori educator at Minnesota Renaissance School, Anoka, Minnesota.  She has been involved in the study of Ayn Rand's philosophy since 1970.