In a perfect world — or even just a better world — Pennsylvania’s state budget would be both completed on time and would be a plan in which Pennsylvania’s taxpayers could place their faith.

We unfortunately do not live in that perfect world, and yet again our state budget has missed its deadline.

We appreciate that Williamsport’s legislator, state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, is declining his paychecks until the matter is resolved. Flick’s choice is an excellent example of leading by example.

However, when contemplating our state budget, we do not want to give in to the temptation to fixate on the missed deadline. We believe the second part of our prescription for a better Pennsylvania — a budget in which taxpayers can place their faith — is more important.

And, as we editorialized when the budget proposal was first introduced, we have serious concerns about the direction the governor wishes to take the state.

We do not believe Pennsylvania can afford endless increases in spending. We do not believe that assumptions and wishful thinking about new sources of revenue — whether they be taxes on skills games or still-at-this-time-illegal marijuana — can justify the increases in spending.

Pennsylvania needs a thriving economy. Pennsylvanians need new employers and more job openings created by existing employers. A competitive tax climate is instrumental in providing the jobs and the economy Pennsylvanians need.

We fear that more spending commitments will make it harder for our state government, in the future, to reassure employers that Pennsylvania is capable of offering that competitive tax climate. And if employers leave for states with a better tax climate, the burden of fulfilling those spending obligations will fall, more and more heavily, on the people still here.

While we regret that the state could not meet its own budgetary deadline, we hope legislators use the extra time to confront and defeat the impulse to spend more and more of taxpayers’ money.