"We need a new healthcare system because working Americans are paying too much for health insurance and the government is running up debt that will eventually harm all of us. But no matter what the Republican majority comes up with, the opposing party will not vote for it. It is certainly true that Obamacare passed without one Republican vote, so, to be fair, partisan politics dominates both sides of the aisle. But there's one very important difference - Obamacare was an unknown when it passed in 2010. Now we know it doesn't work because health insurance premiums are rising for too many Americans and a number of health insurance companies are simply bailing out of the system because they can't make enough profit. Here's what should happen: The federal mandate that all Americans must buy health insurance is not a good thing. The feds have no right to tell us to buy anything. However, there are millions of Americans who cannot afford health insurance. Those folks should be able to receive government assistance from the states through Medicaid. Also health insurance companies should compete nationwide, which would drive down premiums for working families. In addition, Americans who do not buy health insurance should have to pay a bit more for coverage after they get sick. It is not fair for someone to wait until they have cancer and then want the same insurance rate as a healthy person. It's also not fair for the partisan press to say folks will lose their health insurance if those same people refuse to apply for Medicaid or whatever. There is a huge conflict between the Bernie Sanders people who want free health insurance for everybody and conservatives who say you should pay your own way. But for the good of all Americans, these pinheads in Congress should try to get the best bill possible and put their ideology on the shelf. We are a compassionate country so we must have safety nets for those who cannot support themselves. The problem is, the can-nots mix with the will-nots and the system gets hammered. But there will always be irresponsible Americans who game the system. Talking Points believes the Republican version of ObamaCare will make it through the House with some compromises and arrive in the Senate at the end of March. There are a few Democratic senators who can be won over, but only a few. So a new healthcare law is shaky to say the least."

The Factor invited reaction from former Republican Senator Jim DeMint, who now heads the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Obama has raised the price of health insurance and lowered the choices," he began, "but the first version of the House bill does not change a lot of the cost drivers or put consumers in charge. To improve the bill, they need to freeze enrollment of Medicaid expansion. It doesn't make any sense to continue to enroll people in Medicaid who are healthy. The other thing they need to do is put consumers more in charge, this bill should have an expanded health savings account concept." DeMint predicted that the health care legislation will make it through the House and Senate.

The Senate Intelligence Committee says there is no evidence that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the campaign. In response, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer referenced Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who had reported that a FISA request may have been made to surveil Donald Trump. Baier entered the No Spin Zone to elaborate. "I was interviewing Paul Ryan," he reported, "and I asked him about reports about FISA requests. Because of the way he cryptically answered, I asked him again and it seemed like he was tangentially confirming it. But we went back to Paul Ryan and he said he had not seen any evidence. Both the House and Senate intelligence committees have said they have seen no evidence of a FISA request for surveillance of Trump Tower." The Factor concluded, "The whole thing is now settled that there was no FISA request by the Obama administration."

With conflict all over the world and an increasing U.S. presence in the Middle East, The Factor welcomed former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. "The administration is talking about adding more troops in Syria," he began, "and the reality is that if we are going to defeat ISIS, we have to provide support for the Iraqis. We have to move ISIS out of the area and we have to get rid of the caliphate. Secretary of State Mattis is a tough guy and a smart guy and he's making the right recommendations." Panetta turned to North Korea, which continues to act with belligerence. "We are taking the right steps right now, we are deploying missiles to South Korea to protect against the increased threat of an attack from North Korea. This leader is unstable and that could result in provocation and war."

In a much-hyped show Tuesday evening, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow revealed two pages of Donald Trump's 2005 tax returns. Shannon Bream entered the No Spin Zone to administer some truth serum. "Donald Trump paid a rate of about 25%," Bream reported, "and that same year Barack Obama had a big book deal and paid a rate of 32.9%. The Clintons were at about 31% that year and the Bushes were at 25%." Eric Shawn turned to the incredible conspiracy theories involving Donald Trump and Russia, often put forth by left-wingers who totally ignored the Clinton Foundation's foreign ties. "Seven nations were allowed to donate to the Clinton Foundation," he said, "and Saudi Arabia alone gave between $10-million and $25-million.

Bernie Goldberg weighed in on MSNBC and the Trump tax returns. "After listening to ten minutes of that show," he said, "I thought Donald Trump was the latest villain in a James Bond movie. But if you don't want speculation on where your money is coming from, release the tax forms. Maybe he is trying to hide the fact that he did not pay a lot in taxes in other years, which is not against the law. He should release his returns because it's important, but Rachel Maddow's hype was ridiculous. We didn't learn anything about the source of his income." Goldberg added that Donald Trump himself benefitted most from the release of his returns.

Jesse Watters spent his Wednesday evening at Donald Trump's rally in Tennessee, where he asked some Trump fans what their man should do. Some of their responses: "I have no advice for him because he's doing a great job" ... "Maybe cut back on the Twitter a little" ... "Make sure the borders are secure, build a wall" ... "Rewrite that Paul Ryan plan because it's terrible." Watters also had the chance to speak with President Trump himself for an interview that will air on 'Watters' World' this coming Saturday night at 8PM.

Trey Renaud, Houston, TX: "Bill, you and Charles Krauthammer completely left out the ruling by the Hawaii judge that blocked the President's travel order."

Ben Mitchell, Grand Rapids, MI: "Why is President Trump required to provide evidence of Obama's surveillance, but Democrats and the corrupt media can make insane accusations against Mr. Trump? It's a double standard."

Diane Stavulo, Lanoka Harbor, NJ: "I laughed at the low job approval numbers for President Trump. Why would I believe polls that were so wrong during the election?"

Over-indulging on St. Patrick's Day demeans the man, the celebration, and the legend. So have fun, but stay safe and do not go overboard.