Legacy-based admissions are one thing, though I can't see how a policy based on race would be the right tool to combat that (and it's not entirely clear to me t

Legacy-based admissions are one thing, though I can't see how a policy based on race would be the right tool to combat that (and it's not entirely clear to me that it's unjustified for a school to find ways to get alumni funding, though some institutions like Harvard clearly have all the funding they need). As for students that come from schools with or without "proper funding" and such that "prepare them for college" better or worse... Suppose it's true that certain students would be the most meritorious if everyone got an optimal education, but that, due to unfortunate circumstances, some of those students ended up being significantly less prepared than the rest. Do you actually recommend a policy that would force colleges to take these less-prepared students? It seems like a recipe for problems. (You don't actually say the opposite statement—"we would need affirmative action if some school districts do not receive proper funding". It seems implied, though you also call AA a "symptom", which admits an interpretation like "the situation makes people mad and they'll demand X and probably get it, though I don't necessarily think they're right to do so".)