The states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have agreed to merge into one “super state,” in an effort to pool government resources. The move, which will reduce the number of U.S. states to 49, will save taxpayers a total of 2.6 billion dollars a year in staffing and administrative expenses. The new state, dubbed RiConn, is expected to be re-admitted to the union on January 1, 2010. A special election will be held in November to choose a governor from the two existing ones. Connecticut governor M. Jody Well presently leads Rhode Island governor Donald Carcieri in the polls by a 12 percent margin. The election will also allow voters to pick legislators from incumbents in both states to serve in the new RiConn legislature, and to choose U.S. Senate and House members for the new state.

The merger will save tax dollars by eliminating over 21,000 state jobs, and by consolidating services such as law enforcement, education, transportation, and health and human services. A coin toss will decide which state capital - Hartford or Providence - will become RiConn’s new capital.

“I like the ring to ‘RiConn,’” said Anne Jayden, filling her car at a gas station in New Haven. “It’s a lot easier to spell than ‘Connecticut.’”

“This will make us bigger,” added the Jayden’s husband. “You can hardly find Rhode Island or Connecticut on a map - they’re too puny.”

But not everyone is pleased.

“It’s bad enough we’ve lost industries and jobs in this country due to the bad economy,” lamented Odell Hester, a local shipyard worker. “But now we’re losing states! What’s next - closing highways? This shit’s bad, I tell you!”

Officials from both states insist that the transition will go “rather smoothly.”

“RiConn will become the new, modern state of the 21st Century,” boasted David Floyd, spokesman for the two-state committee that is spearheading the merger. “We will become a model of efficiency that will be the envy of, and hopefully the blueprint for, other states. They will give serious thought to joining forces like we have.”

But will other states choose to be joined at the hip like CT and RI?

“There are many states that are in financial trouble,” added Floyd, with a dose of bluster. “With all the state governments circling the drain, I could see the U.S. pared down to 25 or 30 merged states in another 5 years. This model has worked well in corporate America for decades…why not government?”