[sammyg2]

Most of the wealthy people I know are wealthy for a reason. They are smart and responsible. Not only with money, but in all aspects of life. Get good grades, go to college, work hard and graduate, get a job and do well instead of partying every night, move up the ladder.

Most of the poor people I know are poor for a reason, they make stupid decisions based on emotion rather than logic, and they are irresponsible. Drop out of school, get a meanial job, call in sick, show up late, get fired, get another low pay job, barely make it on just enough effort to get by, blame it on the man or who ever.
It's never their fault, (as is demonstrated in pitchfork comment).

Now which one of those groups would you expect to have higher debt?

Wealth is not the cause of a lack of debt, but lack of debt and wealth have a common cause.
If you have a financial clue, you will be better off than the guy down the street wearing the wife beater and drinking beer.
You will also have less debt than him.

Now obviously these two examples are extremes to make a point, but the point is still valid when looking at hte middle class.
Some of the wealthiest men I have ever met were misers who pinched a penny like they had vice grips for fingers.

Some of the poorest people I know can't have a $20 bill without it burning a hole in their pockets. Gotta spend it NOW!
That's why they are poor, that's why they have excesssive debt.