I somewhat agree. The great thing about Shimano is (was) the ability to mix and match the mountain stuff with the road stuff. So you could put, say, an XT rear derailleur with a 105 group to get a wide range casette. Unfortunately now that everything has moved to 10 speed above Tiagra, while mountain stuff is 9 speed, you need to either get NOS or Tiagra brifters.
I'd love to see a 9 speed Ultegra/105 level cyclocross/touring type group. Unfortunately I don't se eit happening.
QBP still stocks 9-speed Shimano STI shifters at all levels, all the way up to Dura-Ace. There are tons and tons of Ultegra shifters currently in stock. Just because it ain't the latest and greatest doesn't mean that Shimano has stopped making it or your LBS stopped selling it. You might have to wait to week to get it in on special order.