Maybe if all of my sites were fixed width, horizontally centered, 2-3 column cookie cutter web 2.0 sites with little actual variety in content I could pull that off.

Generally I restyle reusable elements like contact forms and the like. Most real websites ( not 5 page vanity sites) require more in depth work than simply resetting stylesheets.

I appreciate removing removing the style from the content, but it is no panacea and actually requires careful organization to avoid becoming a big pain in the but. The many ways a cascade can affect the same tag can be so complex that bad css can be standards compliant but a ridiculous for a different designer to come in and edit. Bad CSS is very very easy to write, good CSS is pretty rare. Most of the “fixit” jobs I come across are full of uncommented disorganized and redundant CSS.

Bottom line is: web standards do not actually make for solid code or design. Too often I have seen people obsessing over it when they should be focused on the KISS principle and meeting deadlines and budget requirements.