re: Main problem I'm having right now...
Yes, that can be fixed. The HTML filter is a pretty intricate piece of code, so it may take some time. It's intricate because humans, unlike computers, can generate text in a wild variety of ways, and the filter has to accommodate all sorts of special cases--text filters are among the most complex software I've tackled over the years.
Bottom line, it may take some time, but I will get it fixed.