But to answer the question, libertarians don't believe in government that seeks to make us "better". We want a government that facilitates civilized society but otherwise stays out of our way lets us live the way we want.
Conservatives value some of the same things as libertarians, but for different reasons. For example, libertarians oppose the welfare state because they see it as a dangerous expansion of government power and an encroachment on liberty, while conservatives tend to oppose it because of their disapproval of "leeching" off society.
These different perspectives ultimately lead to divergent policies, because conservatives are, in general, more willing to use government power to push society toward their vision of the "good life". They're more like traditional liberals in this sense, though they have a different definition of the "good life". This why conservatives will pursue extra-constitutional campaigns like the drug war, or the 'war on terror', even though they'll complain about socializing medicine or regulation of business.
Conservatives value some of the same things as libertarians, but for different reasons. For example, libertarians oppose the welfare state because they see it as a dangerous expansion of government power and an encroachment on liberty, while conservatives tend to oppose it because of their disapproval of "leeching" off society.
These different perspectives ultimately lead to divergent policies, because conservatives are, in general, more willing to use government power to push society toward their vision of the "good life". They're more like traditional liberals in this sense, though they have a different definition of the "good life". This why conservatives will pursue extra-constitutional campaigns like the drug war, or the 'war on terror', even though they'll complain about socializing medicine or regulation of business.