About a month ago, conditions for my family were finally starting to look really good. We bought a house. We bought a Lexus. We bought an HDTV and a new computer. We also finally got a broadband connection and DirecTV to replace our cruddy 56k connection and horrible cable. In terms of material wealth, our family had never been better. My parents, who had arrived here in the U.S originally as poor Chinese immigrants were finally realizing the American dream after all their hard work. Then four days ago, there was a huge blow. My mother recieved a notice that she was to be laid off from her corporation in two weeks. Though the economy is improving, some companies still needed money, and my mom was fired as a result. My dad was still working though, so there was hope. My mom could find another job while my dad would barely support us. Then, today, coincidentally, my dad recieved a notice that he was to be laid off within a month from his corporation. We were stunned. My dad worked for a completely different company, but chances had it that he was fired. With two unemployed parents, this was devastating. My family currently has no idea what to do. With all those new things we bought, we can't afford to pay for it at all with the measly amount of money left in the bank. In addition, my parents have to help pay for my high school tuition. This was a devastating blow. A week ago, I was worrying about what to spend on during my summer vacation. Today, I'm worried about how we're going to make a living. Taking a low minimum wage job will cover sh!t of the amount of payments my parents have to make. I want to help, but my parents refuse to allow me to work. They have an old saying, "Money corrupts.". I'm powerless, and can only worry about my parents and how they're going to get through this...