Illinois pension cuts are a tax on seniors. But Motorola gets tax breaks.

Eric Schmidt, of Google, which owns Motorola, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

When he announced yesterday that Motorola was moving to downtown Chicago from suburban Libertyville, the Mayor had a big grin on his face.

Not me.

It cost the taxpayers $100 million dollars in tax breaks over the next ten years to keep the company from carrying out its threat to leave the state.

In case you wanted to know why Illinois is broke.

When the House votes in a few weeks to cut retirement benefits to state workers, setting the stage for a similar proposal aimed at teacher pensions in the Fall veto session, understand that this is nothing more and nothing less than a tax on seniors.

A retirement tax.

This is money that will go into state coffers replacing money given away to Motorola. And Sears. And the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

It is not money that will be spent on the things that will boost the awful Illinois economy.

It should be enough to make the Tea Party scream.

But they won’t.

Every working man and woman in Illinois should know that the cut to 80,000 current TRS retiree pensions,  on seniors who worked and contributed to the system their entire professional lives, is money that will not be spent on food, clothes, a movie, a new toaster, a pair of shoes or on their grandchildren’s toys.

It will not be spent on the things that create jobs for people.

This isn’t just about us.

It’s about you too.