Would you colonize Mars?

Do you guys think the first colonization of anything off world will be a public venture (exploration -focused), or private/corporate (profit and resource harvesting -focused)?

I try to think of space exploration with the analogy of sea exploration, which is not ideal but at least has a point of reference in human history.
Those were usually private ventures (even when sponsored by state) and had profit as an incentive. For this to be a public venture, it needs the backup of a fairly totalitarian society, like China or Russia or at least a war-driven one, like the US space exploration during the cold war. A truly democratic society needs to balance the budget and would rather spend the money on something that would keep the current administration in office (like something that the taxpayers will actually appreciate on the short term).