Many have pointed out that black women don't always get the same opportunities as white men, and I agree that isn't right. Giving them preferential treatment isn't right either. Forcing white boys to pay more tuition as a way to subsidize black girl scholarships is not only a case of punishing the child for sins of the father, but also justifying the concept of two wrongs making a right.
I agree with all of this. I still don't see how you can stand by your comment of them being economically advantaged.
They have an economic advantage, but so do white people (a much bigger one and many more of them), they are not economically advantaged.
Affirmative action is an attempt to address the inequality. How would you address it?
The economic advantage is evident when you compare apples with apples. A white boy starting out in a ghetto will likely pay (borrow) more for college, and have fewer job opportunities than the black girl next door. Men already have a higher unemployment rate than women, and with the racial benefits of AA, she has an even larger advantage.
Your argument of assigning different economic classes to each race is comparing apples and oranges.
Without racial consideration, I'd address income inequality with equal treatment and tough love:
If people don't want to work, why can't we allow it to be uncomfortable? Rather than section 8 SFHs, stack them up like college kids in a dorm. Rather than food stamps for free sodas, give them access to healthy food in a cafeteria with set hours.
Short-term this would create more inequality, but in the long-term it would encourage the poor to lift themselves up enough to get a place of their own.
Expanding on the thought, I wouldn't kick them out if they passed an income/savings threshold, but would charge a fixed rent as an incentive not to live there forever. Those who couldn't pay in cash would be expected to do chores/work which would help pay the bills and teach job skills.
For those who need job training, this situation could be tied into the CCC model, but rather than having it all funded by the government, I'd prefer to see the private sector do the training and provide the jobs in a paid internship (similar to the way it's done in Germany).