While perusing the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission’s website, I came across this new piece that trots out that standard right-wing claims that health care reform legislation would kill both your baby and your grandparents which was topped off by this suspicious quote attributed to Karl Marx:
Remember, Karl Marx once said, “First you socialize medicine and everything else follows like night follows day.”
Now I am going to make a bold claim that this quote is false and that Marx never said it – and I am comfortable making that claim because a quick Google search turns up a mere five results, all of which appear to stem from this piece called “Socialized Medicine – Talking Points” written by Dr. Allen Unruh:
There’s always free cheese in a mousetrap. Along with shekels come shackles.
As Reagan said, “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it, and hell where they already have it.” He said, “If we socialized the Sahara desert, in two years we’d be importing sand.”
Karl Marx said, “First you socialize medicine and everything else follows like night follows day.”
Ben Franklin said, “He who would trade freedom for security will end up with neither.”
As Patrick Henry said, “Millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty are invincible against any force the enemy can rise against us.” The battle is not to the strong, it’s to the vigilant, the active, and the brave.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “Rebellion to tyranny is the natural manure of the tree of liberty.” William Penn said, “Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.” Ignorance, apathy, and indifference pave the road to tyranny. To live free is a privilege. To die free is a duty and an obligation.
Remember to refer all your friends, and e mail lists to teapartysd.com to hear speakers at our latest rally on socialized medicine. Every American needs to be informed immediately on the threat to their health, their life and their freedom. America is indeed in the 11th hour and the decisions made with change the tide of human history and alter the destiny of mankind.
Anyway, I fully expect that this phony Marx quote will eventually start getting picked up by others on the Right and, in an effort to head that off, I hereby challenge Dr. Unruh or someone from the CADC , or anyone else for that matter, to verify that this statement was actually made by Karl Marx and to document where it came from.
I don’t expect that anyone will actually take up that challenge, but if they do and it can be shown that this quote is indeed real, I will gladly write a post admitting that I was wrong.
If you believe that you can document this veracity of this quote, please contact us here and put the phrase “Karl Marx Quote” in the subject line.
Incidentally, the name Allen Unruh sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t recall why, but a quick search reminded me that he has been, for the last several years, deeply involved in South Dakota’s efforts to institute an absolute ban on reproductive choice in the state:
Dr. Allen Unruh is a chiropractor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is the co-founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, and served on the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion. He is a member of the Vote Yes For Life Campaign.
