We all know that stealing is wrong, right? That’s pretty obvious.

Okay, so you ended up stealing something. You don’t tell anyone, right? Well, of course!

You certainly don’t publish the story to one of the largest read websites in the country, right? Duh!

That’s why this story about Phil Busse is so … well … just take a look:

Phil Busse, the erstwhile (Portland) Mercury editor, mayoral candidate, clairvoyant restaurant reviewer, prison boxing habitué and hilariously overpaid political campaign manager, has taken leave of Portland for a visiting professorship at St. Olaf College in Minnesota—a job that apparently allows him the time to cruise Highway 19, uprooting John McCain campaign signs.

He’s proud enough of this new hobby that he’s written an entire column for the Huffington Post on his mission

“Sure, I understand that stealing a sign will not change anyone’s mind, and, most likely, will only embolden McCain supporters’ disdain for liberals. Even so, yanking out the signs and running like a scared rabbit back to my idling car was one of the single-most exhilarating and empowering political acts that I have ever done.”

So what happens? Mr. Busse is forced to resign his position. All the news articles about him speaks of this incident. He is going to go to court for a misdemeanor theft charge.

Ouch.

There is are some important lessons for employers and future employees in this that should be talked about here:

1. By the way, everything you do online is visible. If this isn’t obvious, get it through your head once and for all. Search engines and archiving programs scour the net and take snapshots of everything so that it can be discovered later.
2. Employers will look online. If not now, then later. Even though I know it is not as much of a problem as many people say it is, serious stuff can still have a major impact on your career.
3. Employees need to be aware of what is on blogs, social networks and other websites. What you think is a secure picture on Facebook can be saved and e-mailed.
4. Employees also need to be aware of their e-mail. E-mail accounts are hacked all of the time (and if it can happen to a VP candidate, it can certainly happen to you). Stuff that is embarrassing can be brought out easily.
5. Employers will certainly do a background check. If your online antics lead to offline trouble, your employer can find that out fairly easily with a comprehensive online background check.

Want to avoid being a Phil Busse candidate? First of all, don’t steal. Second of all, don’t brag. Want to avoid hiring a Phil Busse candidate? First of all, look online for warning signs. Second of all, do a background check.