Rick, I can only speak for myself but I look at it as a continuous influx of new subscribers to AS who are not familiar enough with the system to know to search for discussion topics. It's been a while since I went to the FAQ page but I'm sure there's something about searching there. Maybe the AS powers that be should consider putting a notice about the availability of the archives someplace prominent, where newcomers are likely to see it, together with simple 1-2-3 instructions about how to access earlier discussions.
Personally, I don't mind answering the same questions over and over again because it shows me that AS is alive and growing, which means it'll stick around for a while. Maybe if you'll look at the situation as being similar to a teacher facing a brand-new class it'll put it in a different perspective for you.
