While I'm just a layperson on the subject, to me, there is far more to the question of affirmative action than giving opportunities to the "poor or disadvantaged." It's a way for our system to actively acknowledge and combat any (possibly subliminal) biases towards the previously privileged group of white males. As they say, old habits die hard, and it's naive to think that hiring and admissions processes are now completely blind to everything but parental income. Surely, strict quotas are an overreaction to this, but there is some middle ground between quotas and complete deregulation.