Once upon a time I obtained a wilderness permit from the internet site http://www.recreation.gov. Since then I regularly receive emails from this site encouraging me to go camping, hiking, rafting, climbing, etc. Does anybody besides me find it ironic that the government is promoting these activities on the one hand while simultaneously rationing the permits they require us to have on the other?

I haven't had that problem and I reserve campgrounds a few times per year. I thought it was a government website, and the USDA might just be sending you ads to get more business (the old saying "why doesn't government act more like a business"; when they do, and start doing stuff like advertising, people hate it).