MICHAEL PATRICK LEAHY: The Price Of Civilization? “Holmes issued his famous quote back in 1904, during the142 year period between 1789 and 1931 when peace time federal spending as a percentage of GDP never exceeded 4 percent. I note today that under policies Professor Sachs supports, federal spending as a percentage of GDP–at 24 percent– is now six times greater than it was during Justice Holme’s prime. When Justice Holmes delivered that famous quote, I’m pretty sure he didn’t have the current level of taxation in mind as the ‘price’ of civilization. At 24 percent of GDP, we’re dramatically overpaying for civilization.”