staying logged in

Are you talking about the password manager toolbar?  I believe that it is set that way as a precaution, so that if someone sits down at your computer and opens the browser, that they can't get to all of your sites.  There's an option to automatically open the login dialog when you open the browser, to remind you to log in to it.  I guess the real question is why you aren't just leaving the browser open all the time - is there a particular reason you are restarting it?

Hi Nic
 
Could not have put it better myself, and I recall I asked the very same question what now seems eons ago....and go a very similar answer.  The reason is security-related and a feature request has been rasied in the past and if I remember corrctly has been roundly rejected by the Development Team...based on the potential security issue.
 
Having said that TommyZ...there is nothing stopping you from having another punt at this and raising a new feature request in the Ideas Exchange (see link at the top of this page) and those who agree can come and support your idea, etc.
 
Regards, Baldrick