hi dave and welcome ! we're always very happy to have professionals around to join in the discussion !
especially professionals supporting well-crafted epub books.
i can assure you that your wishes are shared by MANY of us around here (fervently), and it's really encouraging to see that you've got your priorities in good order !
hopefully the rest of the industry will soon follow you.
we'd love to see you share your experience with epub creation. maybe you've got a few tips that might interest us. what books have you made ?