no scriptural basis

well there are Scripture passages that are pointed to as being related to some of these beliefs and practices, but some protestants reject these interpretations of Scripture.

This brings up the question of who decides which interpretation is correct. Catholics believe Scripture and Tradition to be authoritative. A critique of the approach of the "Scripture alone" view is that it has led to the fragmented creation of many groups that have broken away from each other, since without an authority to decide on which interpretation is authoritative, then multiple people might disagree on the correct interpretation, and then schisms result.

So Catholics might say that there is a Biblical basis for certain things, protestants might argue there isn't, and then Catholics might additionally argue there is a continuous authoritative support for such beliefs and practices.

This is slightly more complicated today with the current Vatican, which has said things which seem to contradict past Catholic teaching, leading some to conclude that such Vatican is not Catholic currently.

USCCB

So a handful of us don't consider the USCCB or "Catechism of the Catholic Church" to be Catholic currently, but I see where you read the bit that Catholics weren't as interested in laymen reading Scripture up to the 1940s. That doesn't sound totally accurate, but it's probably true that Catholics (and orthodox?) weren't as concerned with laymen reading Scripture.

Well, the protestant view is often that "faith alone" saves, which wouldn't require reading Scripture anyway. For Catholics, the belief is in the necessity of "faith and good works". So reading Scripture is not necessary to salvation in the belief of either group. Probably instead catechism (which included Scripture) and being a good person were emphasized instead?

almost the equivalent of our government discouraging us from reading

I understand what you're saying, although probably you still make use of experts like lawyers or doctors for things? Catholicism is an "authority" based (or "authoritarian") view. While the American culture tends towards "anti-authoritarianism" and "anarchism", there was still always the design of there being an authority of a president (kind of like the pope) and a hierarchy of government.

Even in the modern right-wing anarchism (like of "anarcho-capitalism"), they have acknowledged hierarchy often naturally emerges as a way to organize businesses and institutions. "Experts" as kinds of "natural authorities" emerge; I suppose the Catholic religion simply takes the view of such authorities being supernaturally imposed instead.

I don't view it as being simply a method of control. In Romans 13 St. Paul talks about obeying government authorities - does this acknowledge that to some extent government authorities might exist? So too, wouldn't it seem reasonable to think that Church authorities might exist, with one leader like a pope? If having authority is thought to be "too controlling", might there being no authority be "too out of control"?

confession to a priest

well there is James 5:16, "Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved."

Burning these books is an act of evil

Converts had burned their books in Acts 19:19 to destroy what was bad: "And many of them who had followed curious arts, brought together their books, and burnt them before all". So book burning is Biblical, Catholic / Christian. It's not good to steal books from others to burn necessarily (since stealing is wrong).

It's been debated if it is good or ok for censorship of books to take place and under what conditions (like the current attempt to remove objectionable materials from public school libraries). Catholics have the Index of Forbidden Books.

prayers to these saints

I think it's supposed to be like passing a message along. Think about the idea of people "pulling some strings" in the world. Maybe you want permission to do something, so someone has connections to a leader and can "put in a good word". That kind of thing.

pray to Mary

Again it's an ancient practice and tradition.

prayer to Anna Maria

Ok, this site looks confusing: this is a prayer by Anna Maria to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so when it says "Queen of Heaven", that is being addressed to Mary. It's a prayer to Mary.

disguised polytheism

I can see how someone might view it that way. The lives of saints are read and thought about as good examples to imitate. I guess they are believed to be saved, and able to pray for us, and are part of a heavenly family of sorts. They are not thought to be gods, so it is not polytheism. They are individuals with varied stories though.