Why do conservatives believe in doing so much for other countries and so little for home?

They're fine with their tax dollars being spent on a war against an idea (how do you defeat an idea anyway?) in a place where the idea doesn't live (terrorism is thriving in Afghanistan). A war which has erased our surplus and has reduced us to begging for money from the Chinese. I would rather America spend a couple billion dollars to support lazy welfare recipients, and make healthcare universal than a few TRILLION dollars to "liberate" a country who was content enough to not have overthrown it's gov't.