Scott,
I am afraid I have to disagree with you there . I have a responsibility to fly the aircraft as efficiently as possible. Both from an environmental position, and also from a "$70 USD a barrel" position. Starting down early just in case is a waste of fuel, and in general the FMC/FMGC will be the most efficient profile. I believe it is up to the authorities to arrange routings and altitude constraints that reflect this attitude. For me the FMC profile is a starting point, I then use speed to get off the height if the track is shortened.