And in some cases, you run a search for old posts, but if you use the wrong strings or synonyms that aren't just right you might not see an old post that's similar to what you want to say. That, and not every player regularly follows the forums as much as the more veteran players do.
But you're right on the whole... you've gotta at least search once or twice to find your idea or topic before posting, it's just common decency

"Bein' a minotaur is a lot like bein' a regular human except moo" - J. Rowland