Because of his homespun folksy manner and affinity for See’s Candies, Warren Buffett has a reputation as a very loveable guy. Not so, some of the people who make him so rich.

As the “Empire State of Mind” beat filled the packed CenturyLink Arena in Omaha, the chorus slid in: “At Berkshire, financial strength is what dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t dooooo….” The white, middle-aged crowd of investors jammed. Is this is the humble setting from which champions arise?

• President Obama will propose new laws today to crack down on companies and wealthy individuals who use a variety of tax loopholes to move their assets offshore and avoid paying taxes. [WSJ, BN]
• Citigroup and Bank of America are both rumored to be working on plans to raise more than $10 billion in fresh capital a…

• Wall Street opened higher this morning after Wells Fargo predicted it would report a record $3 billion profit for the first quarter of 2009. [CNN, AP]
• You may soon be able to bail out America, too: The Obama administration is currently looking at ways to "give ordinary Americans a chance to profit from the…

Google's stock price has passed the psychologically important but otherwise meaningless $600 barrier for the first time. Want some other high-flying tickers? Try the Washington Post Company at $803 or Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway — currently trading around $121,000 per share. Of course, despite the difference…