In our country we are aware of the phrase “caveat emptor.” It means “let the buyer beware.” The seller accepts no responsibility for the quality of the goods or the honesty of the price.

High-powered merchandisers try to convince you that the quality and the prices are really good buys. This is propaganda in business, and hopefully we are alert to this.

We are not aware of the propaganda methods when they are applied to the following:

Stories that are labeled simply “Washington.” They usually have no source — no writer who is identified and no facts.

Watch out for stories that poke fun at a candidate’s physical features: a candidate who has lengthy eyebrows; a candidate who raises his voice in exultation; a candidate who gets a $400 haircut; a candidate who was falsely given a war medal (indirectly accusing the military of not doing a good job of verifying the facts).

These are attempts to attack a candidate by sick humor but have nothing to do with his qualifications or his views or the facts. This kind of personal slander is usually brought out three to five months before the election so there is no time to refute them.

Stories that begin with “this company’s reports were better than had been predicted.” Who predicts bad results. Is this good news or a cover-up for terrible results?

The unemployment rate is down, which says the economy is doing better. What it actually says is that fewer people in a certain month are receiving unemployment benefits. this can be because the benefits for many have run out, the people have given up looking for work or they have retired early. This rate varies from 3.5 percent to 5 percent and is usually quoted when it goes down but rarely quoted when it goes up. Either way, it is a totally false basis for assessing the status of the economy.

Stories about new jobs as an indication of a good economy. If this is quoted, it should be accompanied by the number of jobs lost during the same period as well as the number of jobs that have to be created to just keep even with an expanding population.

The election time is here. Be aware that 90 percent of what you hear in the next few months will guarantee a more rotten mess than the dictatorship elections in Africa. And we call ourselves a civilized nation.

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