Democrats’ proposed minimum wage hike – a 40% increase from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour – is dead for now. Senate Republicans successfully blocked the proposal, which failed on a 54-42 vote. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) was the lone Republican “yes.” Democrats have made “income inequality” a centerpiece of their mid-term election campaign as they desperately grasp for anything that would distract from the ObamaCare disaster. But the minimum wage is similarly destructive, killing hundreds of thousands of jobs and raising prices for consumers. Not that Democrats really expected it to pass; the bill’s real purpose is to serve as a bludgeon against Republicans. Obama claimed that Republicans “told Americans, ‘you’re on your own’ – without even looking them in the eye.” Petulant as always. The bottom line is that the federal government isn’t the solution to every problem.