A libertarian is more aligned with the constitution as it was written. Individual rights are paramount. Small government, states rights - in our constitution any right not given to the federal government belongs to states. Individual rights do NOT come from the government. They come from God and so the government cannot take them away. So regulating schools for example would be the province of the states and this was the case until the 70's or 80's when the Department of Education was formed and started messing up education in the US as they tried to "standardize" it. No one has looked at the stats to see that our standing in the world is dropping because we are dumbing down the curriculum and we can no longer compete. Libertarians believe that people should be responsible for themselves. Welfare is a liberal construct. Well into the 20th century, communities had affinity organizations that were sometimes religious (Knights of Columbus) or related to places of origin. So depending on the size of a community, there might be a German social hall and an Irish social hall, etc. These organizations all helped new immigrants to integrate into society. Today, you're called foul names if you expect immigrants to actually integrate and learn English. "Diversity is our strength" is the rallying cry of the left. So, we now have the Balkanization of America. We are developing our own no-go zones in urban areas where Muslims have settled in large numbers.
The liberals are all about social welfare and free stuff. This group also includes the Communists, Socialists, and Marxists. They want abortion on demand. Free speech ONLY if they approve of what you're saying, Government control over everything. No guns. A small army but they want to send it everywhere. They're all about Nation Building (unfortunately the Republicans have joined this group also so I guess it is the Progressive influence.) The liberals seem to think that three people in a room can have a vote for who's money to take. They think that if two people vote to take yours and give it to a fourth, more deserving person, that is charity. I call it theft as do all Libertarians. The Republicans have gone along for the ride regarding this and way too many other issues. Another new view is that an accused person is guilty until proven innocent. That's why they all think that because some people don't like Trump, he must be guilty of something. You probably didn't watch the Kavanaugh hearings a year ago last fall where Congress was trying to confirm him as a Supreme Court Judge and women kept coming out of the woodwork to accuse him of "crimes" that happened when he was in high school. How would you handle that? Someone who you might not even remember, says you raped her at a party the summer between junior and senior years. She doesn't know were the party was, who was there, how she got there, how she got home but she's absolutely sure she had only a single drink and it was YOU!!! The "crime" wasn't reported at the time. She never told her friends or family. Now, she remembers and has to tell us to save us. Oh, BTW, she pocked a million dollars from a go fund me page that some supporter set up. And the left still believe that Kavanaugh must be guilty because he was accused. Off with his head!!!
Who knows what the Conservatives stand for these days. They used to be for less business regulation and more fiscal responsibility for the government. They also wanted a huge army (because it benefited business) but they didn't want to send it anywhere. Things change though and they're in the bigger is better camp today. The Republicans are completely cowed by the left. They are hamstrung by political correctness because they are so afraid to speak their mind. That is why I was so happy when Trump joined the race. If a homosexual pointed to a blackboard and said it was blue they wouldn't argue with him for fear of being called a homophobe. The only people you are allowed to argue with in the PC era is white men. They are the root of all evil.