education, and a bunch of other things that are actually beneficial to society they consider a waste of money
For education, at least, I agree with the majority of (non-MAGA) Conservatives. Education should be treated like food, not like roads: government should ensure everyone has access in a diverse competitive market of providers, but not be a direct producer.
50 or 100 years ago, I could much more see the argument that education is a natural geographic monopoly. Now I firmly believe that education is suffering from lack of innovation and competition.