Is there a way to default ALL new reminders/calendar events to have an alert? I like my iPhone, but one thing that REALLY bugs me is that EVERY time I create an event I have to manually set an alert.  

(One has to wonder why Apple thinks that I would add an entry into my calendar and NOT want an alert.  At the very least this should be configurable - to do some default.)

I am hoping there is such a setting that I have overlooked.  Is there?
Yes, there's a setting!

Settings->Mail, Contacts, Calendars->Default Alert Times->Events