There's no point in arguing about this without context, since it's really all about the context. That is to say - depending on the framework/code base/whatever

There's no point in arguing about this without context, since it's really all about the context. That is to say - depending on the framework/code base/whatever you're working in, just "do[ing] position: relative; left: 3px;" for a specific page element could actually be quite a chore. Not just now, but for the next guy as well.