Removing a basement wall

At the risk of sounding incompetent here, I have a question about remvoving a wall. My laundry is a large, wasted space and I would like to remove two sections of wall to create a larger family room in the basaement. The nice thing about these walls is that they are not drywalled on one side, so I can see everything inside, which is essentially nothing. With the exeption of one steel post, which I realize makes this wall load bearing. However, the post runs directly up to the beam and the wall appears to have been built around it, removing the wall would not involve any cutting. In fact where the studs meet the top sill (and I apologize for any incorrect terminology here) there is a small gap, which I assume means that this wall is not bearing any weight at all. I realize that I would be left with a metal post in the family room, but the currently family already has one and I'm quite okay with that.

I just want to make sure I can safely remove the wall without compromising the integrity of the rest of the house. Hope this makes sense.

Jenny