With so many people out of work in the United States, it strikes me as selfishly ignorant to simply can the comments section instead of 1) using an industry standard platform, 2) moderating that platform, and 3) cultivating a culture of utility.

I don't call this move "smart" in the grand sense. I'd go with "lazy" and/or "cheap" in this context. I mean, ask me how I know Disqus has the ability to ban users from specific sites...