It isn't that bad. It really is only 1 click to get there. Mouse over the gear and click mail options in the drop down. You are now on the general settings page

It isn't that bad. It really is only 1 click to get there. Mouse over the gear and click mail options in the drop down. You are now on the general settings page that has the SSL option. You don't have to do it for every browser; the setting applies to your account. But you are right, it should be on by default.