Why rather than issue continual steps down don't you clear us to a lower level "not below DME steps"
That would be a retrograde step. DME Arrivals/Steps went out with the ark. Too pilot-workload intensive, esp in today's environment of FMS and STARs. ATC should be good enough (ie sequence you away/slow you down from the traffic causing the problem) to not require the pilots to self-descend "not below the DME steps". This is 2006, with a $600m+ ATM system running the show. If the steps are so limiting, move them out. To hell with RHS. I'll bet the local VFRs wouldn't mind.
The system must do better than this.