9/10 Approve? I say 8/10 just don't understand

I saw a billboard in town that was promoting the public ownership of Manitoba Hydro.  The billboard said "9/10 Manitobans prefer to keep Hydro public."  
I, of course, would like to end all government run monopolies such as Hydro, Liquor Commission, Lotteries, Public Insurance and certainly the Wheat Board.  I also have a growing suspision that statistics, such as the above, are fairly useless. 

I wager that the majority of the citizens interviewed in that poll just don't think about the full ramifications, and what they mean, to have the government own a resource.  I am willing to bet that 8/10 people interviewed simply feel the service is good/adequate and so they wouldn't change it simply because they are happy with the rates and service.  I will expect maybe 1/10 people interviewed to have some socialist beliefs that the governement should own the resources because it keeps the resources and profits from greedy, lying, rich corporations which socialists hate. 

I also don't use the word "public company" very often.  Have no illusions, this is a state run monopoly.  The word "public" just makes it sound nice and fair.

The fact is, the state run Manitoba Hydro does not allow free people (us as citizens) from entering the marketplace and that is just wrong.  People should be free to open and run businesses in a free market, which we obviously do not have.  That should be a god given right, to open, own and operate businesses. 

I also have to argue the significance that the majority of Manitobans agree that Manitoba Hydro should stay public.  We do not choose our laws based on the majority.  If we did, we probably would have a law that child molesters should be castrated and handed over to the victims families for punishment.  We don't because our laws are based on principles and rights, not what the majority chooses.  The fact that the majority of Manitobans do not think about freedom principles, does not make the government owned hydro a good idea.