What does "Right Wing" and "Left Wing" mean?

Hello 4thfingers, You've provided a good succint answer. You put my attempt at brevity to shame. However, I must take one very strong exception to your answer: Fascism is defined, first and foremost, as a " ... governmental system with strong centralized power. Permitting no opposition or criticism ..." So, loosely labeling fascism as simply right-wing without the designation of tyrannical, is very misleading. The designation is relevant. Particularly because Marx's utopic standards have never been realized. Each Communist experiment, has in fact, resulted in a fascist reality. Although Mussolini's fascist run was narry more than totalitarianism, in it's purest definition. He was personally anti-communist, but that's because he was opposed to any illusions of a fairy-tale of equality for all. Here in America the left often spews hateful inferences that the right are simply fascists. No such similarities can be drawn between America's Capitalist/Conservatives and Fascists for obvious reasons, but primarilly because American "Right Wing" values personal freedom, personal responsibility, and limited central government as it's three biggies. I hope that you don't mind that I've chimed in to make this distinction. The object of the question is to determine the genuine differences between left & right wing. And, I wouldn't want us to mislead either Miamilady or any other participant. Thanks!

Lunalady's correct. American politics doesn't allow for the extremes seen in Latin America where you can see clear examples of Fascists (Far Rightists) and Communists (Far Leftists) Juan Peron and Augusto Pinochet were dictators and Fascists on the far right. Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez are dictators (forget the semblance of a vote, they are dictators) of the Communist variety on the far left. It doesn't quite get that far in the US due to checks and balances, but with the roll over and do anything Bush wants Congress that existed before November 2006 we came the closest I've ever seen to having a right wing dictatorship. NeoCon-ism provides for more of a plutocracy, but that may be getting a little too deep for most.

Excellent clarification RoseieS57! I'll add one other point: President Bush is incorreclty labelled as a Conservative. He seems to favor a muddled Oligarchical system of government. I can't even say he's a true New World Order-ist. He is a political anomoly, meaning that his actions have proven him to not fit in any ideological mold. No true Conservative would have ever agreed to some of the things that he has put his signature on. Or some of the things that he is favoring, like the Trans-Continental Corridor.