TRWTF is calculating your credit score. If you pay off your debts, that's bad for your score. Not paying them is even worse. You need to have lots of credit accounts to have a good score - but applying for a new account lowers your score. If you have a lot of credit you don't use, you can easily get more. But if you actually have balances on your accounts, you can't.
If you have only one credit card and have been out of debt for years, you have a poor credit score. Once again, it's the responsible people who are screwed.