Lots of folks hate having people just pop into their homes unannounced. Aside from being a bit rude, it can be a bit frustrating for some people, too.

Now imagine what you might do if, oh let&8217;s say, every citizen in Mississippi stopped by your house one day. And, just for good measure, let&8217;s assume each one brought three friends along.

That would be one heck of a problem, wouldn&8217;t it? How in the world would you manage?

Getting 12 million people do anything together &8212; let along move in the same direction &8212; would be a gargantuan task to say the least.

In some ways, however, that&8217;s the staggering task facing the United States today. An estimated 12 million illegal immigrants are believed to be living in the United States.

Many of those are working, despite living here illegally, and given the number of working illegals here, they&8217;ve become fairly integral to our economy.

President Bush on Monday night outlined a multi-tiered plan that seeks to remedy what many have dubbed the &8220;immigration problem.&8221;

Part of the plan is tightening up border patrol, which is obviously important. Another part of Bush&8217;s plan would provide a system under which illegal immigrants already in the country could repay back taxes, and eventually try to become citizens here.

Obviously, deporting 12 million people is not feasible. Bush&8217;s plan is among the best solutions we&8217;ve seen yet. If his critics have a better plan &8212; short of trying to deport 12 million people &8212; let&8217;s hear it.