Apparently, too few in Washington really listened to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during his 8-hour speech on the Senate floor Friday, as he explained his objections --- and those of many in the Democratic Party --- to the tax cut extension deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans. The "experts," if not a majority of working class Americans, are predicting this boondoggle deal will pass in Congress.

Too few have listened up until now to the details of the negative trends laid out by Senator Sanders, but at some point, we all will have to listen; it just might be too late by then to reverse course.

The senator's main points are that this deal adds more than $900 billion to the federal debt, which everyone seemed so concerned about in the recent electoral campaign; much of the money the federal government borrows comes from China or other foreign nations, which weakens our position in the world; while the economy would be stimulated by the proposed extension of jobless benefits, giving more tax breaks to the wealthy only adds to the debt and likely takes needed future funding away from programs like Social Security and Medicare, and that the president had most Americans behind him in opposing more tax cuts for the wealthy, yet he caved in without a fight and negotiated with Republicans without bringing in most members of his own party.

Basically, Senator Sanders explained to the nation --- if the nation would listen --- that endless borrowing without raising enough taxes to pay for the spending and a dramatic shift in the percentage of total income toward the wealthy are trends the United States cannot sustain. Yet the president's deal --- which he insisted is "the best we can do" --- merely continues the status quo for as far as the eye can see. It also is reflective of a nation led by cynical deal-brokers lacking a sense of fairness, never mind moral instincts.

For now, it appears that all those who want to see these destructive trends reversed can do is make their point in as dramatic a manner as is possible, and the entire Vermont congressional delegation deserves praise for doing this --- especially Senator Sanders.