Cosmic Questions

Premise:  At some time in our lives, each of us has posed at least one question for which we have never received a satisfactory reply.  Typically, the answers have been: a) inadequate, b) oblique, or c) totally non-existent.  Choice c) likely is due to the fact that it would be a waste of breath to pose the question to anyone in the first place.  So, we press on with our lives, abiding with a mild form of frustration, for want of finding that which has to be out there....somewhere in the cosmos.   A litany of the most hackneyed, or threadbare of questions would begin with offerings such as, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Conversely, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"  Then, there is always the elementary school standby, "How high is up?"

            What follows are the contributions to this pursuit of the unanswered; as offered by our steadfast, loyal readership.  Last names have been withheld to protect the innocent.

            If the pen is mightier than the sword,  then why do actions speak louder than words?               
                                                        ~ Ben, Portland ~

            Why are Americans so obsessed with dying healthy?
                                                        ~ Peter, The Netherlands ~

            Is this all there is?
                                                        ~ Gary, Hood River, OR ~

            Why, if I am standing in the store, and change checkout lines, does it always take longer than if I had never moved?

                              ~ Tyler, Battle Ground, WA ~

             Will we ever see the transcripts?
                              ~Ben, Springfield, MO

             Why are we, as a human race, improving on obtaining and dispersing information, yet failing to meaningfully translate it into "knowledge", let alone consistently discern amid it all, truth vs. falsehood?
                                                        ~Alice, Richmond, VA ~

             When is dinner?
                                                        ~ Rees, Portland ~

             If simplifying the tax structure would save huge amounts of money, hassle, and mean reduced monitoring of the government in our lives, then why can't we have a simple flat tax?
                                                        ~ Ken, Portland ~

             Is it only a coincidence that the cars which are crowding my tailpipe, or which pass on the right at slightly under the speed of light, that such cars are red?
                                                       ~ Susan H., Portland ~

           What is Atlas kneeling on when he lifts the world?
                                                       ~ Margaret, Danville, CA ~

Do all husbands leave small change in every room of the house?
                            ~ Sarah, Fort Collins, CO ~

Astronomically speaking, what happens to missing matter?
                                                       ~ Larry, Reno NV ~

Vye is it der is so many more horses aziz in da vorld den der is horses?
                                                       ~ Al, Boise, ID ~

How did the ancient mariners know that one nautical mile would exactly equal one minute of a degree?
                                                       ~ Gaylord, Spokane, WA ~

As a train passes cows standing in a field, why are the cows always facing the train?
                                                       ~ Chuck, Portland ~

What's the big deal about thumb-sucking, anway?

                                                       ~ Cyndi, Portland ~   

Why is it that no one likes any governement except when they want something?
                                                        ~Joe, Surrey, ME ~

Now what do I do?
                                                       ~ Pat, Portland ~       

Is there life after birth?
                                                        ~ Charles, Columbia, MD