That's very simple:
1. Did the size of government increase under Reagan, or did it decrease?
2. What about the national debt: did it increase or decrease under Reagan?
3. Did Reagan abolish any federal departments, bueaus, etc. during his time in office?
How can you, as a "conservative", defend a President who did little to limit the "few & defined" powers of the federal government to only those that were granted to it by the Constitution?
Regan tried to abolish the Dept. of Education. COngress nixed it. He had other ideas to decrease the size of the Federal government, but his proposals were not endorsed by Congress.