No Plus Sign Button or Edit Button in IOS Contacts App The Contacts App on my iPhone 4 (with IOS 5.1) has no '+' in the top right corner to add a contact and no "edit" in the top right corner to edit a contact. My friends do have this. How to it get these buttons to show up?
You may be looking at a subscribed contacts list, rather than one of your own that you have read/write access to.  Go 'back' all the way to list you contacts accounts, and ensure you are actually looking at your own contacts.