I have had time to read other peoples columns from all over the internet. I've decided when I run into one that is worth repeating that I would post it up over here.

The first column is written by Jim Meyers of NewsMax.com and it looks at what the future would be. With the elections coming up in November Mr. Meyers takes a look at who would be the Democrats leaders should they win back control of both houses. Its a very interesting read and something we should all be aware of.

Pelosi Congress: Radicals Would Lead
Jim Meyers, NewsMax.com
Monday, Sept. 18, 2006

If Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats win at the polls this November, it will give the party control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994.

Under such a scenario, Pelosi would not only replace Dennis Hastert as the Speaker of the House, she would bring with her a new Democratic leadership – and many in this new leadership are quite radical in their politics.

NewsMax.com took a careful look at who among the Democratic caucus may hold the top positions in committees such as Ways and Means and Judiciary under a Pelosi Congress. The results were startling.

The Democrats need to pick up only 15 seats to gain a majority in the House. Of the 28 open seats – in districts where the incumbent is not seeking re-election – 18 are now held by Republicans.

The "Cook Political Report," a nonpartisan election analysis newsletter, lists 55 Republican and 20 Democratic seats as potentially "in play" – and all 17 "toss-up" seats are Republican.

A number of polls show strong public sentiment in favor of Democrats. Asked in a September CNN poll who should control Congress, 55 percent of respondents said Democrats – and only 43 percent picked the Republicans.

So there is a strong possibility that Democrats could pick up the 15 seats they need.

Under House rules, the majority party selects the chairman of each committee and subcommittee.

A Democratic takeover of the House "would usher in a cadre of the most liberal members to the most important committee chairmanships in the House," according to a report from the organization Washington Analysis. "These new chairmen would not only dictate the agenda, but would also lead the oversight onslaught that would be expected under a Democratic majority."

A Democratic majority would also enable the party to select the chairman of each subcommittee, creating further difficulties for the Bush administration. For instance, John Murtha of Pennsylvania, an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, is in line to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee.

Democrats traditionally go strictly by seniority when selecting a committee chairperson, while Republican Party rules allow them to be more flexible.

If Democrats remain true to form, here's what Pelosi's Congress will look like, according to Washington Analysis and other sources – along with each Democrat's "liberal quotient," the Americans for Democratic Action's rating based on lawmakers' support for the liberal position in key votes:

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House (95 percent liberal quotient).
Pelosi represents a district including most of San Francisco – a seat that has been in Democratic hands since 1949 – and is one of the most liberal members of the House. She voted against all of the following issues: cutting taxes by $70 million, renewing the Patriot Act, reducing the death tax, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and making it a crime to desecrate the U.S. flag. She supports gay marriage, and backed legislation allowing overseas military facilities to provide abortions for women in the military and military dependents.

The would-be Speaker also backed a measure calling for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, supported a bill requiring a 72-hour background check for persons buying weapons at gun shows – and opposed a bill strengthening the enforcement of immigration laws.

Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader (95 percent).
He is currently the minority whip and has represented a Maryland district south of Washington, D.C., since 1981. His recent voting record on key issues is virtually identical to Pelosi's. Hoyer was chairman of the Democratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking position among House Democrats, from 1989 to 1994.

He has admitted to being a "tax-tax, spend-spend" Democrat, and The Washington Post said Hoyer is "among the House's 10 most prodigious suppliers of pork."

Rahm Emanuel, Majority Whip (100 percent).
The representative from the north side of Chicago would take the powerful position once held by Tom DeLay. Emanuel is the co-author of "The Plan: Big Ideas for America" – the Democrats' attempt at echoing the GOP's "Contract with America" that helped them gain control of the House in 1994. Emanuel was director of finance for Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign and a top aide to Bill and Hillary from 1993 to 1998. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and is known as one of Congress' most combative Democrats in the House. Pundit Ann Coulter has called him "the Democrats' pit bull."

Charles Rangel, Ways and Means Committee (100 percent).
Rangel would become chairman of the most powerful committee in the House, with jurisdiction over taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Rangel has voted against the Bush tax cuts and opposes the estate tax repeal. He'd likely back a windfall profits tax on oil companies, and has also called for the renewal of the military draft. Rangel has been arrested three times for taking part in protests, and has compared President Bush to Bull Connor, the police official in Birmingham, Ala., who led attacks on civil rights protesters in the 1960s.
Barney Frank, Financial Services (100 percent).
The congressman from Massachusetts is a staunch liberal who would surely not be as favorable to the banking or financial services community as the current chairman, Michael Oxley of Ohio. He would also support more consumer protection and regulation of credit rating agencies, and he opposes a ban on Internet gambling. Frank, who is openly gay, is the founder of the National Stonewall Democrats, the national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democratic organization.

John Conyers, Judiciary (95 percent).
Conyers, who represents a Detroit-area district, is one of the most outspoken liberals in Congress, and is the prime sponsor of a resolution seeking to investigate whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses regarding Iraq. He frequently posts to the liberal blog Daily Kos, and appeared in Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," saying that most members of Congress "don't read most of the bills."

Henry Waxman, Government Reform (100 percent).
One of the most influential liberal members of Congress, Waxman represents a district that includes Beverly Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. According to his Web site, universal health insurance, reproductive rights, AIDS, and environmental standards are among his top priorities. In 2004, Waxman was sharply critical of federally funded abstinence education programs.

John Dingell, Energy and Commerce (95 percent).
Dingell, the longest serving House member, would take over the committee. The representative from a district south of Detroit is a strong supporter of national health care, organized labor and social welfare programs, and is known for his tough oversight of businesses. But he has voted against clean air bills that could negatively impact the auto industry.

Ike Skelton, Armed Services (75 percent).
Skelton of Missouri, a 15-term congressman, has fought defense cuts and is mostly hawkish on defense matters. But he recently urged President Bush to begin planning for a withdrawal from Iraq if sectarian violence escalates.

David Obey, Appropriations (100 percent).
Unlike Skelton, Obey – with oversight of the defense budget – would probably seek to cut into some major defense programs and spend more on domestic programs. Obey, who has been in Congress since 1969, has called for much higher Congressional oversight of administration spending.

George Miller, Education and Workforce (100 percent).
A close ally of Pelosi, Miller would propose cutting interest rates for student loans and increasing fees on banks and other financial institutions in the student lending business, according to Washington Analysis. The representative from California's Bay area pushed for an investigation of the Bush administration's hiring of Armstrong Williams to promote the No Child Left Behind law.

Bennie Thomson, Homeland Security (95 percent).
Thompson of Mississippi would become one of three African-Americans to chair a major committee. He's a soft-spoken but tough congressmen who has been diligent in attending to homeland securities issues. After Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, he called for a careful review of Red Cross activities in times of disasters.

Tom Lantos, International Relations (95 percent).
Lantos represents part of San Francisco and areas to the South. He is the only Holocaust survivor in Congress and a staunch supporter of Israel. Lantos supports gun control, gay marriage rights, and marijuana for medical use. In April 2006, he was arrested for disorderly conduct in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington for protesting alleged ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

Louise Slaughter, Rules (95 percent).
The representative from Western New York is the chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus and another frequent poster to Daily Kos, and would use her position to further the program of the Democratic leadership.

Jim Oberstar, Transportation and Infrastructure (90 percent).
Oberstar of Minnesota, a 16-term veteran of Congress, is thought to be the most knowledgeable elected official in Washington – on either side of the aisle – on transportation issues. He has a liberal voting record, but opposes abortion and gun control.

John Spratt, Budget (90 percent).
The congressman from South Carolina currently serves as assistant to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. He is known as a moderate Southerner who opposes deficit spending.

Jane Harman or Alcee Hastings, Intelligence.
It's unclear who would gain the sensitive position of chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Democratic leaders might bypass Jane Harman of California, the ranking member, in the belief that she has been too accommodating to President Bush, and give the chairman position to Alcee Hastings of Florida. That move would be sure to draw GOP fire, since as a federal judge Hastings was impeached and convicted 18 years ago on charges of extortion, perjury and falsifying documents.

Other Democrats in line for the chairman position include Colin Peterson of Minnesota, Agriculture (65 percent).

Nick Rahall of West Virginia, Resources (90 percent).

Bart Gordon of Tennessee, Science (90 percent).

Nydia Velazquez of New York, Small Business (100 percent).

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Thank you for reading.

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