I’d rather have the ability to pickup an extra shift when times are tough. I have my friends that are on a strict 40 hour week and when the check doesn’t cut it they are fucked. OT has allowed me a lot of luxuries I otherwise would have had to scrimp and save for.

Meanwhile most people are fucked if their car breaks down. I just pick up an extra shift and the problem goes away.

It can be both, can't it?
People should be paid a living wage. If you do more work than is the defined norm you should be paid increasingly more sums of money.
The intent of overtime laws was to encourage companies to hire someone else instead of making someone work 80 hours a week.

A business saying that they'll pay you more if you work more at your discretion doesn't bother me. Even with a perfectly good wage and benefits you're going to have cases where people want a touch more more money. I had a coworker who did contracting jobs to pay for a new deck. He didn't have to, but it kept his budget from getting weird.

Yup two years ago I worked just over 3500 hours. I basically lived at work to help put my wife through college and hold down the fort.

It was very difficult but worth it.