Theres a few situations where you would want all the text pulled from a backstore (e.g. i18n, message board) but this is then usually complimented by a design built to accommodate this AND/OR appropriate cache/proxy front ends. From experience you get into this sort of situation when the client specs one things and then decides to cut costs at a later date - however from your description it sounds as if the implimentation was half-assed as well.
Anyways, nope in general websites arnt designed like this and, yup, youre better off out of it. Last time I allowed a client to get away without paying me it was 100% deliberate in order to ensure they would NEVER have the bollocks to contact me again for fear of being asked for payment so consider it money well spent :)
P.S. Mister Paragraph has something he would like to talk to you about.