These were deeply religious people, who had a real commitment to looking after the poor. They built orphanages and hospitals. The churches had a system of relief, which eventually was taken over by the state. So Americans should get over "socialism." This system developed not after Karl Marx, but after Martin Luther and Francis of Assisi.
—Dutch author Geert Mak (1946-) on the Dutch who started universal health care in the Netherlands. In an interview with Russell Shorto in the New York Times magazine, 29 April 2009
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